


Transmigration of the Soul: Moments in Time

by PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer



Series: Transmigration of the Soul [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: And because source fic is Explicit, Bonus Content, Epilogue, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Mature Rating for Potential Future Content, Requests, Slice of Life, Spoilers!, Though only in places which can be skipped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-27 10:36:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10012049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer/pseuds/PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer
Summary: Random little scenes and ideas set in the 'Transmigration of the Soul' universe. Mostly ideas from myself, and requests from readers for more details or "what if..." scenarios that are not covered in the main fic. Contains spoilers.Feel free to comment, or make requests! Can be about anyone or anything in the TotS universe, whether it's main or side characters. If I feel inspired, I just might write a scene about it!If you've blundered across this and don't know what 'Transmigration of the Soul' is, it's my main (now completed) Papyrus/Reader fic, which you can find here:Transmigration of the Soul. Feel free to check it out!





	1. Epilogue: Whole Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene contains spoilers for the end of TotS! So, if you haven't finished reading it, you may want to.
> 
> Scene Description:  
> Many, many years after the end of TotS, Reader, now an older woman, returns to the underground with a number of other people to tie up some loose ends.

"CAREFUL, NOW... OH! WATCH OUT FOR THAT ROCK!"  
  
"Really, Papyrus, I'm not made of glass! Besides, we come here every week." You grouched as you made your way up the path towards the cave entrance.  
  
"BUT NORMALLY WE DON'T MAKE THE TRIP ON FOOT! YOU USUALLY USE YOUR MAGIC TO TAKE US STRAIGHT THERE! AND WITH YOUR INJURY-"  
  
"It's just a flesh wound, Paps."  
  
"A FLESH WOUND THAT'S BIG ENOUGH THAT IT'S TOO DANGEROUS TO USE YOUR TELEPORTATION MAGIC." Papyrus pointed out.  
  
You grunted in annoyance. You couldn't very well deny that point. Alphys had had to stitch up your side after Undyne clipped you with one of her spears during your last sparring match. You hated to admit it, but your reflexes really weren't what they used to be. Sometimes it sucked getting old.  
  
Papyrus, meanwhile, had been fussing over you the entire trip here, and, as much as you loved the sweet, lovable goof, he was really trying your patience.  
  
"Paps, I'm fine. It's just a little walking. Heck, it's a lot easier to get here with all the roads and trails than it was when I first made the trip! Besides, I'm in better shape than most people half my age." you smirked in satisfaction at that last part. It was true, after all. You had to be in good shape to keep up with Papyrus and Undyne.  
  
"I KNOW, I KNOW... I JUST WORRY IS ALL... I MEAN, THERE WAS A **LOT** OF BLOOD... I THINK... I'M STILL NOT CERTAIN WHAT CONSTITUTES A DANGEROUS AMOUNT OF BLOOD LOSS..."  
  
"I can assure you, it wasn't that amount."  
  
"NYEH..."  
  
There was a slightly tense silence.  
  
"..." Papyrus fidgeted a bit as he followed closely at your side through the halls. "...SORRY IF I'M BEING OVERBEARING... I CAN'T HELP BUT WORRY ABOUT YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH..."  
  
Your annoyance melted away instantly, and you gave Papyrus a soft smile. "I know. I love you, too, Paps." Papyrus gave you a relieved smile in return. "Now, come on! We're late enough as-is! We wouldn't want to disappoint everyone on this very important day!"  
  
"NYEH HEH! YOU'RE RIGHT!" Papyrus smiled excitedly, and the two of you hurried through the throne room.  
  
Just a few minutes later, and the two of you finally arrived in the Hall of Judgment.  
  
There was a small crowd already waiting there, and they all turned to the two of you as soon as you stepped through the door.  
  
Within moments, Frisk was at your side and giving you and Papyrus a big hug. Frisk, who had once only been waist-high on you, now was notably taller. The adorable features they'd had as a child had also developed, leaving them devastatingly attractive.  
  
"HELLO, FRISK! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU!" Papyrus grinned.  
  
"How are you doing?" you asked.  
  
'Hello! I'm doing great! I just got back from Japan two days ago, and the monsters who moved there said they're getting along fantastically with their new neighbors!' Frisk beamed.  
  
"That's good to hear!"  
  
"F-Frisk asked Undyne and I if we'd like to c-come along next time they go!" Alphys piped up excitedly.  
  
"Hell, yeah! I'm going to eat authentic Japanese ramen 'til I barf!" Undyne agreed. "That reminds me of this idea I had for a puzzle once where-"  
  
"HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY, YOUR MAJESTY?" Papyrus hastily interrupted Undyne before she could go into detail about her 'puzzle'.  
  
"I am well, thank you." Asgore responded.  
  
"Did you two have a good honeymoon last month?" You asked Asgore and Toriel.  
  
"We did." Toriel replied, holding Asgore's hand as they both smiled happily.  
  
It had taken quite a few years, but they had finally reconciled their differences and gotten back together. Their wedding had been marked by an incredible celebration.  
  
"Ugh. Are we going to do this, or are you all going to just stand around yapping all day?" groused Flowey from his flower pot.  
  
"Hahaha! Someone's eager!" Sarah chuckled as she stood next to Azzy.  
  
"I think we all are." Azzy replied, wrapping his arm around Sarah in an affectionate side-hug.  
  
Sans turned to you, a serious expression on his face. "you sure about this, pal?"  
  
"You said their LOVE was gone, right?" You asked.  
  
Sans nodded. "Not a single EXP left."  
  
"And Sarah and Azzy know them better than anyone else, and they trust them..." You heard Flowey huff. "Well, almost anyone else." you mollified.  
  
Frisk placed a hand on Sans' shoulder to get his attention. 'I know how you feel about taking this risk. I know better than anyone else how dangerous they can be. I've seen them at their absolute worst. But you said it yourself... their LOVE is gone. That means they've managed to build real, loving ties with those around them. They are no longer the same hurting, angry child who doesn't understand what it means to be loved. They have come a long way from where they once were, and they deserve this chance. They both do.'  
  
Sans' expression softened. "heh. right on the money as always, kiddo."  
  
"NYEH HEH! THEN IT SEEMS WE ARE READY!" Papyrus announced.  
  
"Almost... Where are the kids?" You asked.  
  
"Ugh. We're NOT kids, Professor!" groused a young woman as she entered the room behind you. She was followed by four other people.  
  
You huffed. "Try that argument again when you can legally buy alcohol, Liz."  
  
"We're all kids to Professor _____, Liz. After all, she's old enough to be all of our mothers." replied Jason, the 26-year-old.  
  
"You mean in this life-time, or including her past life-times?" asked Lin, the oldest of the group.  
  
"Yeah! If you include her past life-times then she's older than anyone else in the room!" laughed Ryan, the youngest at 18.  
  
"Ryan, you moron, that's not true. Sarah and Azzy are HER parents." corrected 21-year-old Taisha.  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud..." you grumbled. "Settle down before I convince Undyne to give you guys another 'magic lesson'. And stop calling me 'Professor'! I only help out at Tori's school every once in a while, it's not like you take regular classes with me."  
  
"Sorry, Professor." They answered in chorus, still using the title to your mild chagrin. At least the threat of 'Substitute Professor Undyne' was still enough to have them snap back into line.  
  
You glanced back when you heard Toriel, Undyne, and a few others laughing, and couldn't help cracking a smile yourself. They were a mischievous lot, but they were good people. You were glad that Tori had expanded her school to include not only her usual younger charges, but courses on magic for those human mages who had come out of the woodwork over the years.  
  
You were especially glad, because without them, what you were about to do might not be possible.  
  
"So, is everybody ready?" You asked. There was a chorus of agreement and nodding. Papyrus also placed a hand on your shoulder and gave you an encouraging smile.  
  
"Finally..." Grumbled Flowey, though there was an edge of nervous excitement to their tone.  
  
You, Frisk, and the five students stepped forward towards the small, shimmering barrier as everyone else stepped aside to watch.  
  
Within that barrier floated a small, bright red soul. It's surface seemed rough and jagged from all the scars etched into it, more-so than even your own soul. For years those wounds had remained hidden, obscured by the blackened LOVE festering within, but as Chara had grown to understand love, and their Level of Violence began to diminish, those wounds had finally begun to heal. Now, the anger and malice they'd once clung to was gone, and the tiny soul finally knew peace.  
  
The idea for this had come from Frisk. It was something they'd secretly been wishing for since they were a teenager, but hadn't dared put-forward until they were sure that it was feasible. It was still possible that it wouldn't work, but both participants were willing to try.  
  
The greatest hurdle had been how to bring down the barrier. When it was created, you had used the power of the six human souls Asgore had collected to empower it. That had worked because they had no physical bodies to protect and restrict their souls. In other words, because they were dead. You had tried channeling the soul power of other, normal humans into your magic, but had been unsuccessful. There was simply too much resistance. The only time you ever managed to draw power from another living human had been if they were also a mage. However, since your group did not know enough mages, and it was too taboo to ask the dying if you could borrow their soul (especially since you had no way of knowing if doing so would affect them posthumously) this plan had stagnated for the past several years. Finally, with the addition of Ryan and Liz to Tori's school last year, things were finally moving forward.  
  
"Alright, then." you spoke. "It's time. Frisk? Will you do the honors?"  
  
Frisk nodded and signed. 'Remember, just let your magic flow into me. Allow me to shape and mold it. It might feel strange, but you must not fight the sensation.'  
  
The students nodded their understanding and, along with you, began to focus.  
  
Everyone watched as the colorful glow of each person's magic arched out towards Frisk. The magic twisted and winded around them, flowing like a gentle stream. Once the magic was gathered, Frisk stepped forward and gently placed their hand on the barrier containing Chara's soul. The magic spread out from their hand across the barrier, and once it was surrounded, there was a ripple as Frisk's own magic joined the flow and then... the barrier shattered, iridescent droplets of magic flowing outwards in a fine mist before gradually dissipating.  
  
The small red soul floated gently down into Frisk's now outstretched hand, and they gave it a gentle smile before turning, taking a few steps, and kneeling down.  
  
'Are you ready, Chara?' Frisk asked.  
  
Chara's soul pulsed their affirmative.  
  
'And are you ready, Flowey?'  
  
Flowey looked up as Frisk and nodded. "I've been ready for a long time."  
  
With that, Frisk carefully released the soul, giving it a gentle push in Flowey's direction. When it drew close, it began to glow brighter and, moments later, was absorbed by the tiny flower.  
  
Everyone waited with bated breath for something, anything to happen.  
  
Moments felt like hours, and nothing changed.  
  
But then...  
  
"I..." Flowey uttered, their voice cracking with emotion. "I **FEEL**..." they stuttered a bit at the foreign, yet achingly familiar sensation. "Chara..."  
  
Flowey began to glow with a gradient mix of red and green magic. The magic grew bright and blinding, forcing everyone to look away. When it died down and everyone looked back, there was a chorus of murmured shock among most of those present.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Asriel." Frisk spoke quietly, giving the small goat monster a joyous smile.  
  
"F-Frisk, I..." Asriel's face twisted and he suddenly burst into tears, throwing himself forward into Frisk's arms. "T-Thank you! T-Thank you f-for never g-giving up on m-me! O-On US!"  
  
Frisk held the young goat child as he sobbed, allowing him to gradually calm down. Once he had, he turned to where he knew THEY were standing.  
  
Asriel looked up, fur damp with tears, at his parents who were gaping in utter shock.  
  
"M-Mom? D-Dad? I... I'm sorry I n-never told you... w-who I really was... o-or what Frisk, C-Chara, and I were really t-trying to do with this... I... I d-didn't want to hurt you a-again if it... if it didn't work out like we hoped..." Asriel sniffed. "B-But it w-worked! Chara's i-in here, and w-with their help I can f-finally FEEL again! I... no... WE'RE back..."  
  
"Asriel..." Asgore murmured, eyes still wide in unbelieving shock.  
  
His utterance seemed to snap Toriel out of her own trance, for the moment after, she dropped to her knees in front of her long-lost child and pulled him desperately into her arms.  
  
"My child... My dear, sweet, wonderful child..." She began to sob.  
  
Asriel hugged her back, doing his best to comfort her, all the while his own tears began to flow again. Soon, they were both engulfed in Asgore's arms as well, the three of them sobbing tears of disbelief and joy.  
  
"I... I do not understand, my child... How is this possible?" Toriel asked as everyone's sobs died down.  
  
"It's a long story, mom..." Asriel admitted. "A long story, and... and I'm not proud of a lot of the things I've done... We've done..."  
  
Frisk stepped forward to give them a brief explanation. 'Long ago, after their merger and subsequent death, Asriel's dust combined with some added Determination brought him back as Flowey the Flower, a being with all the memories and magic of his previous life, but lacking a soul. For a long time, these two suffered and struggled with what they'd become, each of them broken and incomplete. Now, though, they've both finally reached a point where they can help each other, by each sharing what the other is missing. Asriel his body, and Chara their soul. Together, they are finally whole again.'  
  
"My son... No... My children... I had no idea... I had no idea how you were suffering..." Asgore gazed down regretfully at Asriel.  
  
"Don't be sorry, dad..." Asriel shook his head. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be hurt over something that couldn't be helped. I was... I was content being able to spend time with you and mom and Frisk, even if you two didn't know who I really was."  
  
"You do not need to suffer any longer, my children, for you are back with us, and we will always love you..." Toriel told Asriel sincerely.  
  
Asriel smiled widely, tears threatening to fall once again. "It's good to be together again..."  
  
The group hugged each other close and, with Asriel's prompting, were joined by Frisk, who was just as much a part of their family as anyone.  
  
*SNIIIIIFF* Papyrus sniffled loudly, rubbing at his eye sockets with his arm.  
  
"you catch something in your eyes again, Paps?" Sans asked him, his own sockets soft and misty.  
  
"YES..." Papyrus sniffled again.  
  
You chuckled slightly as you wrapped your arms around Papyrus, tears of joy in your own eyes.  
  
"Now this... this is what you call a happy ending..." You spoke.  
  
"I COULDN'T AGREE MORE..." Papyrus responded, and leaned down to give you a joyful kiss.


	2. Peace in the Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through Chapter 57 of Transmigration of the Soul! (Also, spoilers in the scene description in this chapter note, so stop reading here if you don't want to be spoiled!)
> 
> Scene Description:  
> Sans was not the only survivor of Chara's genocidal rampage. A certain scientist must find the strength to deal with the fallout as her world descends into chaos.

"Why'd you have to go and do that, Mew Mew? Now we're going to be stuck in detention instead of going to the game!"  
  
"It's not my fault, Sasami! I swear I didn't break into the Principal's office! We've been set up!"  
  
Alphys' eyes were glued to the screen as she slurped her cup of ramen noodles. She loved this episode! Well, she loved every episode... or, rather, almost every episode. Every series had its low point. Though, compared to other series, Mew Mew Kissy Cutie's 'low point' was still pretty good. Mew Mew 2, on the other hand-  
  
A small light flickered on and she reluctantly glanced over at the monitor where her security feeds were wired. It was set to light up the button for the appropriate feed if movement was detected. Honestly, she mostly just ignored it since, given the traffic in some areas, some of the lights were almost constantly on. She really should find a better way to automate the detection system. Eh... Maybe another day.  
  
The light that had come on was for the Ruins Door section of Snowdin Forest. The reason it had caught her attention was because the area saw very little traffic, being a dead-end and all. The only one she ever saw there was Sans.  
  
Alphys glanced at the time and her brow furrowed. That's odd. Sans didn't usually make his way to the door until later in the day.  
  
_"M-Maybe he just decided to go a bit early today?"_ She pondered.  
  
Surely that was all there was to it.  
  
Still...  
  
It wouldn't hurt to check, right?  
  
Alphys switched the feed and her brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
"Wait... What... What IS that?" She cleaned off her glasses and looked harder at the screen.  
  
This camera, admittedly, wasn't set at the best of angles, but it was clear that whatever was at the door was NOT Sans. There was something else off about the scene...  
  
"T-The door! I-It's open?!" Alphys gasped.  
  
Eyes now glued to the camera feed, she watched as the figure looked around, calm and cool. When their head turned towards her camera, her heart leaped into her throat.  
  
She knew what that creature was. Her eyes glanced at the episode of Mew Mew still playing on the other screen. The proportions were a bit different than her cartoons, but, logically, she knew they probably would be.  
  
"A human..." she murmured to herself.  
  
She began to reach for her phone to tell Undyne, but stopped. She knew what would happen if the human was captured. Her eyes flicked back to the monitor as the camera automatically switched to follow the movement as the human began walking along the path. The human was small... possibly... a child? Alphys began to sweat nervously at the thought of helping in the capture and murder of a child, even a human one. Of course, all the previous humans had been fairly young, but the last one that had fallen had been before she was even born.  
  
She pulled her outstretched hand back towards herself.  
  
_"M-Maybe... Maybe they're a nice human? Surely there's got to be good people, even among them. So many of the cartoons and movies that have fallen down here espouse the values of love and friendship, so they must value such things... right?"_ Alphys thought to herself.  
  
Convinced now, Alphys settled in to watch the human on their journey.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Alphys shuddered and grabbed a napkin to wipe the bile and spittle from her mouth as she finished vomiting into the waste basket.  
  
_"O-Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! T-They KILLED someone!"_  
  
She was still struggling from the shock of what she'd just witnessed.  
  
It had become abundantly clear that there was something... off, about the human. When they'd encountered Sans, they'd stood unflinchingly out in the open despite his attempts to help them hide from his brother. Of course, Papyrus was a sweetheart who wouldn't hurt a fly, but the human couldn't have known that.  
  
It wasn't long after their encounter with the brothers that the human got into their first battle with one of the monsters of Snowdin Forest. There had been no hesitation as they'd struck the young Snowdrake with their toy knife.  
  
Alphys had been so shocked by the sight she'd immediately vomited into the waste basket next to her computer.  
  
_"G-G-Get a-ahold of y-yourself!" She mentally scolded as she tried to get her breathing under control again. "I-I'm sure they d-didn't WANT to hurt t-that monster! T-They're just a k-kid! I-I'm sure t-they're just s-scared, is all!"_  
  
Alphys returned her attention to the monitor, hoping that the human realized quickly that most monsters didn't REALLY want to hurt anyone...  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Alphys was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack now.  
  
The human had continued to fight their way through Snowdin Forest.  
  
No...  
  
That's not quite right.  
  
They weren't simply fighting their way through Snowdin...  
  
They were **scouring** the forest...  
  
They were actively **hunting down** any and all monsters they could find.  
  
It was a **massacre**.  
  
"AAAAHHH!!!" Alphys screamed as a sound suddenly broke the silence of her lab. She clapped her hands over her mouth, blushing in horrified embarrassment as she immediately realized that it was just her phone.  
  
Alphys shakily picked the phone up, glancing at the caller ID before answering.  
  
"S-Sans?" she squeaked out.  
  
"alphys... i need to ask a favor... a big one."  
  
"A-A favor?"  
  
"yeah. i'm assuming you've caught sight of what's happening in snowdin, right?"  
  
"I-I-I..." Alphys stuttered.  
  
"thought so. the human's murdering anyone they can find. we need to evacuate. waterfall's no good, as they'd still be too close to the danger, so i was hoping you could offer them refuge in your lab?"  
  
"I-I, w-well..." Images of the human's creepy smile as terrified monsters crumbled to dust at their feet filled her mind. She couldn't knowingly leave them to such a fate. "Yes... o-of course..."  
  
"thanks a lot, alph." Sans sounded utterly relieved. "i'll send everyone your way, and me and paps will stall the human as much as we can."  
  
"O-Okay..." Alphys started to pull the phone away from her head to hang up and begin preparing for the refugees when Sans spoke up again.  
  
"and alphys?"  
  
"Y-Yes?"  
  
"i know it's unlikely, but on the off-chance that the kid gets past undyne, you should be prepared to... hide... the evacuees."  
  
Alphys' brow furrowed at the odd way Sans said that. "W-What do you mean by that?"  
  
There was a brief pause as Sans seemed to prepare himself for what he was about to say. "what I mean is, you may need to hide them somewhere the human will never find them. somewhere so secret, even most monsters don't know it exists. somewhere... somewhere you'd rather they never see..."  
  
"Sans, what are you... W-Wait... you can't **p-possibly** mean..."  
  
"that's precisely what i mean. alph... this kid is **dangerous**... if they manage to get past undyne, the very existence of our race may depend on keeping those evacuees safe. i know it's not something you want, and hopefully it won't come to that, but if it does..."  
  
"I-I... I understand..." Alphys replied meekly.  
  
She could hear the sympathy in Sans' voice. "i know something like that could be hard on you. don't worry, though. i'll port me and paps over there once we've stalled the human enough to ensure everyone's had time to escape, and we'll have your back if things go south."  
  
"T-Thank you, Sans..."  
  
"what are friends for?"  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Sans never came.  
  
Even if he had come, Alphys wouldn't know what to say to him.  
  
She'd seen it all. She'd seen the brothers argue. Sans had wanted to flee, but Papyrus had refused. He'd insisted on trying to talk-down the human. He'd said he could feel the goodness within them, and that he was sure that all they needed was someone to believe in them. To give them a chance, and they would stop killing.  
  
He'd been wrong.  
  
He'd been so, so wrong.  
  
The last she'd seen of Sans was him standing silently over his brother's dust, his face hidden underneath his hoodie and studiously avoiding her camera. She'd watched him construct a small memorial for Papyrus before he'd used his magic and disappeared completely.  
  
Alphys herself hadn't known Papyrus particularly well, but he had been beloved by Undyne. The Guard Captain had barely been able to direct her grief and rage at some unfortunately boulder instead of her phone when Alphys had called to update her on what had happened and to warn her that the human was entering Waterfall.  
  
Alphys couldn't help but worry. It was one thing to kill in self-defense, and another to lash out at monsterkind in fear... But to strike down someone who unambiguously offered you peace? There was something very, very wrong with a person like that.  
  
And that person was now heading on a collision course towards the one woman who still gave her life meaning.  
  
What if they actually managed-  
  
There was a knock at the door and Alphys was forced to push her worries to the back of her mind. She had refugees to attend to.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**"No no no no no no no no no!"** Alphys uttered repeatedly, tears streaming down her face as her claws scrabbled desperately at the screen as if she could pull Undyne to safety through it by sheer force of will.  
  
On the screen, Undyne was shaking, barely holding herself together from her wounds. "So, even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?" The corner of her lip twitched up slightly. "Heh... Heheheh..." A shaky grin spread across her features. "If you... *gasp* If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. 'Cause I've... *pant* got my friends behind me." Her gaze, though glassy from pain, sparked with the last vestiges of her determination as she locked eyes with the small human. "Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you... And if anything went wrong, she would... *cough* evacuate everyone." She let out a weak, triumphant laugh. "By now, she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the 6 human souls." Her features began to distort as her flesh began to melt. Alphys' eyes widened even further in horror as she watched the all-too-familiar process afflict the woman she'd loved in secret for so long. "And with that power... This world will live on...!"  
  
And with those final words, the dripping form of Undyne scattered into dust.  
  
She was gone.  
  
Alphys couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen. Time seemed to stop as she stared in some mixture of grief and numbness at the pile of dust that used to be Undyne.  
  
After some undetermined amount of time, she felt a warm, metallic hand gently squeeze her shoulder.  
  
"Alphys, darling..." came Mettaton's familiar robotic voice, lilting gently. "The main lab isn't safe. We need to hide everyone. I know this is difficult for you right now, but you must try to pull yourself together. These people need you more than ever before. There's no time for them to run. You are their only hope."  
  
Alphys took a deep, shuddering breath before reluctantly pulling her eyes away from the screen. "Y-You're right... W-We don't stand a c-chance against them... O-Our only hope is to h-hide..."  
  
Her eyes drifted past the scours of refugees milling nervously about her lab to her secret elevator. There was only one place she could possibly hide them, and that meant revealing her greatest shame. Her heart sank as she thought of how they'd judge her... How they'd hate her for what she had done to those monsters down there... But, with so many lives at stake, what choice did she have? She looked over as a bunny monster couple tried to soothe their frightened children. Alphys took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. She would not allow her own guilty conscience to condemn these innocent people to death.  
  
It was time she faced her mistakes.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"Y-You're doing WHAT?!" Alphys yelled.  
  
"Volume, darling." Mettaton quipped. "I am heading back up to the main lab to lure the human away. Can't have them snooping around and finding the elevator, now can we? Especially with communications to New Home being on the fritz, preventing us from requesting aid."  
  
"B-But you can't FIGHT them! They'll KILL you!" Alphys argued.  
  
"Alphys, Alphys, Alphys... Who said anything about fighting them? Honestly, I'm a bit insulted that you think so little of my intelligence."  
  
"Y-You're not going to fight them?" Alphys asked.  
  
"Of course not, darling. While I doubt even they could pierce my metallic chassis, I'm not foolish enough to take that risk." Mettaton reassured her. "I simply intend to lure them away from the lab so that they don't discover it. Once I'm certain they're safely away, I will head to New Home and warn the king."  
  
"I... I suppose that makes sense..." Alphys begrudgingly admitted. Of all the days for interference from the Core to disrupt communications with New Home... The people there had no idea what was coming... That didn't mean she liked the plan, though. "J-Just... Just, be careful!"  
  
"Of course, darling! I always am."  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"W-What do you MEAN y-you're going to confront the h-human?!" Alphys shouted into the receiver.  
  
"Darling, you really must learn to control your volume." Mettaton chastised her from the other end.  
  
"F-FORGET my volume! Y-You said you w-weren't going to FIGHT them!" Alphys cried.  
  
"I know, darling..." Mettaton responded, his tone regretful. "However, as I watched the human traverse Hotland, killing every monster they could find, I realized that I simply cannot sit back and allow this to continue. Those monsters were my loyal fans, and I did nothing to help them. Even now, the mercenaries I hired to stop the human within the Core are falling, one by one."  
  
"A-All the more r-reason for you to s-stay away from t-them! Y-You've bonded w-with that form! I-If you... if you die, t-that will be t-the end..." Alphys pointed out.  
  
"Heh..." Mettaton let out a brief, humorless chuckle. "While that is true, I think you are forgetting the unique status being a ghost inhabiting a physical form grants me. Bonded or not, my body is still made of metal, and metal does not care whether you have killing intent or not. If any monster can withstand the human's attacks, it's me."  
  
"I-I..." Alphys didn't want to admit that he was right. As he was right now, the human shouldn't be able to make a dent in him. Still, she was filled with an incredible sense of dread.  
  
"I appreciate your concern, darling. I truly do. Few others care for me so honestly and unconditionally as you do. You are one of my closest friends..."  
  
"M-Mettaton..." Kind though his words were, Alphys didn't like the way he was talking. It evoked far too many memories of speeches in shows and movies given just before someone was about to die.  
  
"...And that, darling, is why I must face this rampaging beast. Great though the losses have been, there's still so many people out there, both great and small, that I need to protect."  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Alphys shouted hysterically at the monitor.  
  
Her blood had run cold when Mettaton had started boasting to the human about him originally being a human eradication robot. While it was, technically, true, that functionality had been a failed experiment. While its attack output had been phenomenal, it had proven to be exceptionally fragile in its battle, or 'Neo', form, and she had never quite worked out the proper AI. She just didn't have it in her to create something so murderously destructive. Thus, the project had been abandoned. When Mettaton, still just a ghost back then, had seen the abandoned robot, he'd been in complete awe of it. Eventually, he convinced her to rework it into a new entertainment robot, and Mettaton, after inhabiting it, started using its energy conservation mode until she worked out the kinks.  
  
Now she was staring at the screen in horror as Mettaton foolishly reactivated that old form.  
  
The look of smug confidence was quickly wiped from Mettaton's face as the human's first strike caused his feeble chassis to crumple and sparks from severed wires to fly.  
  
"Gh..." He choked out, smoke starting to billow from his form as the sparking wires set fire to his form's delicate insides. He gave the human a pained smile. "...Guess you don't wanna join my fan club...?" His eyes drifted up to the camera overhead, knowing this was his last performance. His features softened, filled with so many regrets.  
  
The next moment, the fluids leaking from within him ignited, and with a calamitous explosion, he was gone.  
  
Alphys did not scream in terror like she had for Papyrus, nor did she wail in tears like she had for Undyne. She simply stared as a mute sort of numbness overcame her. She felt dull... broken. Like nothing even mattered anymore. She had nothing left to give.  
  
There was a light knock at the door, and a few moments later a devil monster from Snowdin peaked his head in the door. He had been one of the more understanding monsters when she'd been forced to introduce everyone to the amalgamates. Yet, she couldn't seem to work up the will to bother trying to recall his name.  
  
"Doctor Alphys...? May I come in?" He asked. After a few awkward moments where he got no response, he made his way in, shutting the door behind him. He made his way over to Alphys and, taking in her current state, knew something was wrong. "What has happened?" He asked.  
  
"He's dead." Alphys responded simply, her normal nervous stuttering replaced with a dead, hopeless tone.  
  
"He? You don't mean...?" The monster asked.  
  
Alphys didn't bother replying.  
  
"I am so sorry, Doctor..." The monster expressed his deep sorrow and sympathy. "I know that you and Mettaton were close..."  
  
Alphys continued to stare blankly at the monitor in front of her, watching as the human made their way into New Home, straight towards the king. It was... kind of funny, really. She'd been suggesting that they upgrade their communications systems for years now, but the estimated time for the process meant communications would have been completely down for at least a week. Asgore had ultimately decided that the brief communication blackouts occasionally caused by the Core were better than a complete loss of communication for that long. And now, he had no idea what was coming.  
  
The devil monster watched Alphys worriedly. "Perhaps you should get some rest?" He suggested.  
  
"No." Alphys responded. What good would trying to sleep do her? She'd just be startled awake by the inevitable nightmares, anyway.  
  
Or maybe she'd simply never wake up again.  
  
Either way, she could not rest now. Not with that... THING... still out there.  
  
There was a brief shuffling and Alphys flinched slightly as a hand was gently placed on her shoulder.  
  
"Then I shall keep you company." The monster stated, and then pulled up a chair to help watch the monitors.  
  
Alphys didn't stop him.  
  
She couldn't be bothered to put forth the effort.  
  
At least she wouldn't be alone in the scars this nightmare would bring.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Sans...  
  
So, she was about to watch another friend die.  
  
Alphys' soul twinged painfully for a brief moment before she was able to rein it back under control. She couldn't allow herself the luxury of grief anymore. If she did that, she would shatter completely, and then who would look after the terrified people in these dim halls? Despite their initial... reservations, regarding the amalgamates and their creation, the people down here now looked to her for protection. She was the one who offered them shelter... She was the one who instructed the amalgamates to guard the elevator and protect the people should the human find their way down here... She was the one who tirelessly monitored the human's movements above them...  
  
These people needed her.  
  
She could not afford to break.  
  
"Wait... Is that another human?!" exclaimed the devil monster beside her.  
  
Confusion stirred in her dulled mind, and was quickly replaced by fear and dread as she realized he was right. "Oh, no..."  
  
Just what they DIDN'T need. Another human. And this one appeared to be an adult.  
  
Alphys quickly went back to confusion, however, as the new human seemed to use some sort of magic to prevent the young human from killing Sans.  
  
"Is that... shielding magic??" Alphys asked aloud.  
  
"My god... It can't be..." The devil monster stared, even more stunned than Alphys. "Could she really be...?"  
  
The devil monster's thoughts were proven correct as they watched Sans warily confront the new human about her magic being the same as the barrier that kept them all trapped underground. However, unlike the young human, this new human seemed to be a friend.  
  
"Did they just say something about 'time anomalies' and 'alternate time lines'?" Alphys asked.  
  
"They did." The devil monster confirmed.  
  
Sans had always had a fascination with the concept of time travel. He would occasionally borrow some of Alphys' tools and equipment for his own research. She had noticed those occasions becoming less frequent lately as Sans allowed his laziness to get the better of him. During their increasingly rare interactions, she'd gotten the impression he wasn't sleeping well, either, and worried that, despite his cheerful outward attitude, he might be suffering from depression.  
  
Personally, Alphys had paid little mind to Sans' hobby. As interesting as it was in some of the anime she watched, that's the only place it applied: in works of fiction. Time manipulation wasn't REALLY a thing... was it?  
  
Sans and the two humans seemed to think it was, and soon, Alphys began to doubt her own assumptions.  
  
"Wait... The humans are acting differently than they were a few moments ago... VERY differently." She murmured out loud. "The smaller one was smug and ready to fight a moment ago, but now they seem angry at the bigger human?? And the bigger human was just frightened and upset, but now they're ready to fight the smaller one??"  
  
"That seems to be the case... It's like a record that has skipped to a completely different part of the track..." the devil monster agreed.  
  
"Or an anime where you've missed a few important episodes..." Alphys nodded.  
  
That couldn't be a coincidence. The humans spoke of things that, from her perspective, had never happened. The larger human took a few minutes to catch Sans up on some of the developments in this missing time span.  
  
"Chara?? The king and queen's adopted human child? The one who's been dead for centuries?!" Alphys gasped.  
  
The devil monster beside her was ashen-faced at that revelation. "So they're both... I never imagined things would turn out this way... If only I had been stronger..."  
  
Alphys didn't know what the monster beside her was mumbling about, but she didn't have time to ask as, once again, a very obvious rift in time occurred. The smaller human was clutching at their chest in pain, panting heavily as they glared at the two across from them. They snapped angrily at Sans and the larger human before turning and trying to run. With an audible crack, the larger human cut off their escape, and they were forced to turn and fight Sans.  
  
Alphys gasped as the fight began and the small human's soul was exposed. Or rather, the small human's SOULS were exposed. So, it was true. The small human really WAS being possessed by another human soul. The tendrils burrowed into the bright red soul looked painful, but the bright red soul continued to struggle as the fight wore on.  
  
So focused was she on the fight, both between Sans and the small human, and between the two souls, that Alphys yelped in surprise when the devil monster exclaimed "Look! There!"  
  
Alphys looked to where he was pointing and saw the larger human sneaking up on the smaller one. Moments later, she tackled them to the ground and held them there as they struggled.  
  
"D-Did they do it?? I-Is it over?" Alphys asked nervously, but with more hope than she'd dared to feel in hours.  
  
"I... I think it might be?" The devil monster responded.  
  
The two watched as Sans carefully severed the tendrils from the bright red soul. Freed from the last vestiges of its possession, the soul returned to its body.  
  
"AAAAHHH!!" Alphys screeched, scaring the devil monster off his chair as the blackened soul lunged towards Sans. She clapped her hands to her mouth and panted heavily as the soul was trapped within a barrier just in the nick of time.  
  
The devil monster stood back up. "My goodness..." He mumbled, then took in the situation on the screen. "NOW, it's over." He spoke as it became clear the blackened soul could not escape. He stared hard at the screen, a resolute look crossing his features. "I need to go."  
  
Alphys looked up at him for the first time since he'd entered the room. "W-What?? Y-You're going out there?"  
  
The devil monster nodded. "There is something I need to do."  
  
Without another word, he turned and quickly exited the room.  
  
Alphys turned back to the screen and continued to watch, her emotions in a turmoil. It was over. It was finally over. But the cost had been great. She wavered between anger and sympathy as she saw Asgore breakdown and mourn the blackened soul, his long-dead child. It was like he was losing them all over again, and she couldn't help but feel for the kindly king. On the other hand, that... that THING had happily murdered everyone she loved!  
  
The group argued over whether or not to destroy the blackened soul, and a small part of her hoped that they would. She listened intently as they discussed the small human's ability to 'Reset' and the problem of how to ensure that this massacre wouldn't happen again.  
  
That was when the devil monster, Azzy they called him, arrived and proposed a solution.  
  
Alphys listened as Azzy told his story, and they put the plan to Reset the timeline into motion.  
  
So, this was it.  
  
If everything they said was true, in a few moments the small human would wind back time and undo all the horrors that they had endured.  
  
All the pain...  
  
All the anguish...  
  
All the deaths...  
  
It would be as if they'd never even happened.  
  
Alphys no longer had to be strong. She no longer had to worry what would happen to the refugees without her. She could finally take the time to deal with everything that had occurred today. Take the time to feel... to mourn... to rest...  
  
There was a low, echoing whine behind her and Alphys tilted her head and realized that Endogeny had oozed its way under the door and was now watching her, its body oozing with trepidation.  
  
She gave the amalgamate a sad smile, feeling her tears as they streamed down her face. She reached out and stroked its dripping ears. "It's alright now, Endogeny.." she murmured quietly. "It's over now. It's finally over..."  
  
Alphys let her eyes slowly drift shut, the sound of Endogeny's worried whines echoing in the tiny room. She felt the blackness encroach on her consciousness and briefly wondered if it was the Reset, or if this was what it was like to turn to Dust. Either way, it didn't matter.  
  
Whether for eternity or for but a moment, she was simply happy to have finally found peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man! Long time no see, guys! It's been a busy month, and Breath of the Wild has essentially stolen my soul. That game is SO freaking good, though I've gotten pretty side-tracked and STILL haven't gone to fight Ganon. (Although, I feel that Undertale truly prepared me for the wonder that is Prince Sidon. Fish Husbando ftw!)
> 
> Anyway, about this Moment in Time, you can all thank (Or maybe blame? Feels man. Feels.) Bailey Stoner for requesting more details on what Alphys was up to during the Genocide run! If you're curious, you can also see an edited version of the Genocide Sans fight on my Tumblr, which shows just how things would have appeared to someone like Sans or Alphys who don't remember through the resets.


	3. The Green-Eyed Monster in the Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene contains spoilers through the end of TotS! (Including the scene description.)
> 
> Scene Description:  
> After learning the truth about the secrets you've been keeping, Papyrus must learn to come to terms with his own limitations.

He'd always known that you kept secrets from him.  
  
More than once had he walked into a room where you were chatting with Doctor Alphys, only for your conversation to immediately go silent. When he'd ask you about it, you'd wave it off as 'girl talk' and then immediately change the subject.  
  
One time you'd immediately jumped at that excuse, he managed to fluster you quite a bit by asking how it could be 'girl talk' when it was his brother you were talking to.  
  
When he talked to his friends about it, they'd been pretty split on what it meant.  
  
"Better watch out, dude." RG01 had warned him. "I once saw this show where the guy's wife was keeping secrets from him, and she was totally working for this evil organization!"  
  
".... It's harmless. Everyone has their secrets...." RG02 had countered.  
  
As confused as he was by it, Papyrus wasn't worried that you were secretly evil or anything. You were a good person. He felt it in his soul. If, someday, you decided to talk to him about what you were hiding, he'd be there to listen, but until then he'd just smile and trust you.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
'Someday' came a couple years into your relationship together.  
  
"NYEH??? A DIFFERENT TIMELINE??" Papyrus asked.  
  
"That's right. These past three years... I've already lived through them once. Then, Chara took control of Frisk and caused the first Reset..."  
  
"CHARA... THAT'S THE IMPRISONED HUMAN SOUL YOU CHECK UP ON EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE UNDERGROUND, ISN'T IT?"  
  
"That's right... It was a difficult fight, but Sans and I managed to subdue them and free Frisk from their control so that they could use their power to Reset again and set things right."  
  
"SET THINGS RIGHT?"  
  
"Yes... A lot of monsters... died... in that timeline..."  
  
"HOW... HOW MANY MONSTERS?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"...Most of the ones between the ruins and New Home..." you replied sadly.  
  
Papyrus was quiet and contemplative for a while. "UNDYNE WOULDN'T HAVE JUST ALLOWED THAT... SO, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT SHE..." he trailed off, and you nodded solemnly in confirmation. "AND I..." he hesitated, but you understood.  
  
Though not aggressive like Undyne, Papyrus wasn't one to back down from a dangerous situation, either. With his friends lives in danger he wouldn't... no, couldn't, run and hide.  
  
"You... You tried to spare them... Tried to convince them to stop their rampage, but..." you told him, still clearly effected by the aborted timeline.  
  
Papyrus nodded his understanding. He couldn't help but feel like, maybe, Chara had just been sad and lonely, and had expressed that by lashing out. He made a mental note to go with you the next time you visited their prison. While it may not have worked in that aborted timeline, surely they could do better this time? Everyone deserved a chance to make up for their mistakes.  
  
Papyrus cleared his throat and decided to change to, what he hoped would be, a less heavy subject. "SO, THAT FIRST TIMELINE... DID... DID WE KNOW EACH OTHER THEN?"  
  
You gave him a wistful smile. "We did. In fact, we were dating. I..." You glanced away. "I didn't tell you about all this sooner because I didn't want you to feel pressured into anything. I wanted... I wanted you to decide you wanted to be with me yourself..."  
  
Papyrus smiled softly at you, his hand lacing with your own. It was just like you to put those you cared about before yourself. It was no wonder he had fallen in love with you, and no wonder he had felt that intangible connection to you the first time he'd laid eyes on you in this timeline.  
  
"HOW DID WE MEET? WHERE DID WE GO FOR OUR FIRST DATE? WAS CLEO JUST AS GRUMPY IN THAT TIMELINE, TOO? SANS DIDN'T MAKE A WEIRD FIRST IMPRESSION, DID HE?? OH GOD, HE DID, DIDN'T HE? NYEH... I WILL HAVE TO SPEAK TO HIM ABOUT PROPER INTRODUCTIONS LATER..." Papyrus began to ramble off his list of questions, but quieted when you squeezed his hand.  
  
"Easy, there." you smiled at him, bemused. "One question at a time."  
  
Papyrus stared at you, his mind whirling as he tried to narrow down his list of questions to the most important. Finally, his slightly-unfocused gaze sharpened and he looked you in the eye. "WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH ME?"  
  
"How could I not fall in love with The Great Papyrus?" you grinned cheekily at him.  
  
Your smile changed from joking to sincere and sympathetic as Papyrus continued to stare at you seriously. As much as he boasted, you knew Papyrus wasn't without his self-doubts every once in a while. This was one of those times.  
  
"That's a pretty long, complicated story, Paps... Are you sure you want to hear it right now?"  
  
Papyrus nodded resolutely. "I WANT YOU TO TELL ME EVERYTHING."  
  
And so, you told him everything. You told him about your fears and struggles... Your joys and friendships... The love you two shared and how it healed your very soul...  
  
You had been through a lot. However, it all contributed into you being the strong, loving person you were today. You truly were an incredible person. Papyrus couldn't imagine his life without you.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
The one thing Papyrus regretted was that, while you shared a lot of fond memories with him from the previous timeline, he was unable to share them with you. He was an outsider looking in on some remarkable moments in his own relationship with you. It was... disconcerting. For a while, he tried everything he could to try and unlock his own memories of these events. After all, his soul seemed to recognize you when he first met you, even if his mind did not. No matter how hard he tried, though, he could remember nothing.  
  
So, with no way to remember the events himself, he settled for taking note of every detail he could. The time and day, the weather, what you both were wearing, your thoughts and reactions, his own reactions, and more. He used those details to recreate the events in his mind until he almost felt like he was there, which, he supposed, he technically was.  
  
"...I suspected that our friends were up to something when they all called and canceled, leaving the two of us alone at the restaurant, but I was certain when we were lead to a private table for two despite the fact that Mettaton was supposedly only running late." you chuckled, a wry smile on your face. "Not that I can complain. I sometimes wonder if we ever would have come out of our own oblivious little worlds if they hadn't given us that nudge towards each other? Er... Papyrus? Are you alright?" your tone became concerned.  
  
"NYEH?? O-OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS ALRIGHT! W-WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M NOT?" Papyrus snapped to attention.  
  
"You seemed a bit lost in your own thoughts and you looked kind of sad... Was it something I said?" you asked, clearly worried.  
  
"N-NO! OF COURSE NOT! I AM FINE! REALLY!" Papyrus smiled at you.  
  
He knew you weren't fooled by his fake smile, however. You always saw right through him. (Papyrus mentally groaned at the unintended pun.) But how could he tell you that despite using his powers of imagination, which were very great, he still felt slightly... left-out... when you'd speak so fondly of those times that never were? He was the one who asked you to tell him about them, after all, so how could he possibly begrudge you those fond looks and that happy laughter as you reminisced?  
  
And yet, somewhere in his heart, he did. Somehow, he was envious of the times you spent with himself. Was there truly no way for him to share these memories with you?  
  
"Papyrus..." your tone was a mix of worry and scolding.  
  
Papyrus grimaced slightly. He wished he could talk to Undyne right now about what he should do.  
  
Undyne...  
  
Something in his mind suddenly clicked.  
  
He remembered when you'd told Undyne about when the two of you became friends in the past timeline. While you'd battled her in both, you had been woefully undertrained and her intents had been slightly more... murdery... in the past timeline. Undyne had grinned and declared that she'd clearly gotten the better deal this time around, as fighting an opponent who couldn't really defend themselves made for a 'weak-ass introductory battle'.  
  
Perhaps he'd been thinking about this all wrong.  
  
Papyrus perked up and leveled you with an excited, determined look. "COULD YOU START THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING?"  
  
You stared at Papyrus in confusion at his sudden shift in mood. "Okay...? If that's what you want?"  
  
Papyrus nodded. "IT IS. AND DON'T LEAVE OUT ANY DETAILS."  
  
He might not be able to share those experiences with you, but the Great Papyrus was not about to lose a battle for your heart to anyone!  
  
Not even himself.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
You laughed brightly as Papyrus pulled you back to himself as the song ended. Your eyes glittering with warmth and excitement.  
  
"I suppose this is the part where I tell you that it's a good thing I'm wearing gloves, because otherwise you'd be too hot to handle, eh?" You grinned cheekily at him. "God, I can't believe you went to so much trouble to recreate our first date."  
  
Papyrus smiled down at you, preening at how impressed you were. "NYEH HEH HEH. WELL, OF COURSE. THAT MEMORY CLEARLY MEANT A LOT TO YOU, AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU, EVEN IF I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT TIMELINE."  
  
Papyrus had gone all-out in recreating that date. You were wearing extremely similar outfits, were at the MTT Palace, in the same private dining area, and at the same table. You had the same food and he'd even started the whole shebang off on the same premise: a group celebration for one of Papyrus' accomplishments where everyone else 'mysteriously' canceled at the last moment. That had given you the WEIRDEST sense of déjà vu! He had even learned to dance, just for you!  
  
"Any moment spent with you means a lot to me." You smiled up at him lovingly.  
  
"NYEH HEH HEH..." Papyrus blushed, a proud and happy grin stretching across his face. "THERE IS ONE DETAIL I WAS NOT ABLE TO FULLY RECREATE, HOWEVER..." he admitted.  
  
"Oh?" you asked. "And what would that be? You've been pretty spot-on so far?"  
  
"THIS..." he ran one of his fingers along the pendant you were wearing. "IN THAT TIMELINE, I GAVE THIS TO YOU ON THAT FIRST DATE. WHILE I GAVE IT TO YOU ON OUR FIRST DATE IN THIS TIMELINE, TOO, THAT DATE WAS VERY DIFFERENT."  
  
"Different, but still wonderful." you reminded him.  
  
"NYEH HEH HEH! AS ONE CAN EXPECT FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" he boasted, puffing out his chest. "STILL, SINCE YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT PENDANT, I HAVE COME UP WITH AN EVEN GREATER GIFT!"  
  
"Oh? And what would that be?" you asked, a look of cheerful amusement on your features at his excitement.  
  
"THIS..." Papyrus reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. Before you could finish reaching forward to accept the gift, he had dropped to one knee, opening the box. "_____, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"  
  
Your breath caught in your throat and your eyes widened. Papyrus knelt before you, holding up a tiny box featuring an engagement ring. It appeared to be custom made, with the loop carved from one of the glistening white bones he could summon, and the stone a carefully carved crystal, just like the one in your pendant.  
  
Your eyes shifted up from the ring to Papyrus. He was gazing at you so intently you could practically feel the waves of emotion emanating from his soul. Pride, excitement, nervousness, worry, hope... and most prominently of all, love.  
  
Your jaw opened and closed a few times, but no words came forth. Finally, you settled for nodding.  
  
"YES??" he asked for confirmation, his excitement clear.  
  
"Y-Yes!" you confirmed, managing to choke the word out.  
  
Papyrus took your trembling hand, (or was it his that was trembling?) and slipped the ring onto your finger.  
  
You stared at the ring on your finger, still feeling dazed and overwhelmed by the rush of emotions surging through your mind. You looked back up at Papyrus, beaming at you with pride and excitement.  
  
It seemed you didn't need any more prompting than that to snap out of your stupor. Papyrus watched as your smile became impossibly wide, and then you threw yourself at him, kissing him passionately. His soul surged with so much joy, he felt like he might burst.  
  
This.  
  
This was all he needed.  
  
It didn't matter if you looked back fondly at some other him from another time.  
  
You were here with him. Right here. Right now. And you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him.  
  
Perhaps he'd never be able to fully share those lost tribulations, those lost joys, those lost moments with you, but he would have plenty of time to build new memories with you. Better memories. Memories his other self never got the chance to have.  
  
Papyrus no longer felt envious of his other self. His other self had loved and supported you. He had helped you endure those hard times and eventually grow into the strong woman you were today. That is what had ultimately lead you to him. That is why he could look forward to the countless new memories the two of you would build together in the future.  
  
And for that, Papyrus was grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Papyrus. Jealous of himself. But he's too sweet to allow that to linger, and eventually realizes that he should be grateful because, thanks to that other Papyrus, you sought him out. 
> 
> This one, which covers Papyrus learning about the resets and him proposing to Reader, was requested by quite a few of you. So, time to name drop!
> 
> Wanting to know if/how Papyrus would propose were:  
> Metanarf  
> PurpleSoulSkeleton  
> Talltree-san  
> Mimi17377m
> 
> Wanting Reader and Papyrus to talk about the resets was:  
> Butter_Fly
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this latest entry! :D


	4. Descent into Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through chapter 58 with this one!
> 
> Scene Description:  
> They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but for [REDACTED], they lead to the Void.

The void...  
  
A place where hope goes to die...  
  
A place where things that never were, exist...  
  
His own personal purgatory.  
  
He had long since given up trying to keep track of how long he had been in this non-place. There was no point to such an activity. Time was meaningless here, after all.  
  
Yet, he no longer felt fear, anger, or resentment at his entrapment here. It was no less than he deserved.  
  
He gazed through the nothingness as he allowed his mind to wander, time warping and twisting as he willed, allowing him to see all there was, all there could have been, and all that might still come to pass. All there, laid out before him, yet entirely unreachable.  
  
He watched as a younger version of himself stood on the stage, just behind King Asgore Dreemur, sockets bright with excitement and pride, and twitching nervously, as he allowed himself to be immersed in the time-lost memory...  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"...It is with great pride that I announce our nation's next Royal Scientist. A man who, through genius wit and ingenuity, has helped improve the lives of thousands of monsters throughout the underground. His work reverse-engineering human technology and innovating our own has brought us such devices as 'cellular phones', 'elevators', and, most impressively of all, the Core which has brought the power of electricity to Hotland and New Home, and will soon bring the rest of the underground into the modern age!" Asgore paused briefly as the gathered monsters cheered uproariously. The creation of the Core had started a technological boom, after all, allowing for more wide-spread reinvention of the countless human artifacts that had fallen into the underground, as they were no longer limited to use by those with lightning magic. In the past five years since the Core came online, monster technology had advanced by decades! Asgore smiled at the crowd, more hopeful and excited than he had seen in centuries, and his soul swelled with pride. "Please join me in welcoming our new Royal Scientist, Dr. Wingdings Gaster!"  
  
The crowd cheered loudly as King Asgore stepped aside, motioning for Dr. Gaster to step up to the podium. Gaster jolted from his spot, both anxious and excited, and, after fiddling nervously with his glasses and rechecking his note cards, began to address the crowd, an interpreter translating his sign language for those who did not understand it or his natively spoken wingdings.  
  
'Ah... eh... ahem... T-Thank you! Thank you, everyone! For years... since I was a mere baby bones... did I know that the field of science was where I was meant to be. Long was I fascinated by tales of technological marvels, both real and imagined, that trickled into our world via the books and devices found in the dump. While many of these have been beyond our capability to reproduce in the past, with the increasing stability and power of the Core, it is my firm belief that, soon, the entire underground will be catapulted into the future!" Gaster had to pause as the crowd, once again, began to cheer. "Yet, as Royal Scientist, my duty does not end there. It is my duty, my honor, to also be at the forefront of the Barrier Project, the long-standing commitment not only to freeing our people from our underground confinement, but to ensuring our prosperity upon the surface. I promise you that I, Dr. Wingdings Gaster, will do my utmost to see that dream become reality!'  
  
The crowd exploded in deafening cheers. For centuries they'd been trapped in the darkness of the underground, and while the previous Royal Scientists had done everything they could to improve the citizenry's lives while working towards freedom, none had come close to Dr. Gaster's level of genius.  
  
For the first time in forever, the people felt hope.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"More tea, Wingdings?"  
  
'Ah, yes, please.'  
  
Gaster held out his cup so the King could refill it.  
  
"So, how are your projects coming along?" Asgore asked before sipping his own tea.  
  
'Quite well!' Gaster smiled at the kindly king. 'Research and development into advanced communications has been progressing smoothly. Cell phone service is seeing far fewer interruptions than it has in the past, and my associates believe the Undernet project, which should be ready for introduction to the rest of the underground by the end of the month, will be even more reliable, as the cable service will be less apt to be disrupted by the magical energies of the Core. After studying the human souls, I've also come up with a few theories that I'm hopeful may give us some insight into why human souls have the potential to be so much stronger than those of monsters.'  
  
Asgore nodded along as Gaster spoke. "And how is the expansion of the Core's services going?"  
  
'Everything is moving along nicely. I expect that we'll have power as far as Snowdin Town within the next couple days. Speaking of which, I was there just there yesterday checking how things were progressing, and I found a local confection that I thought you might enjoy!' Gaster reached down to his travel satchel and pulled out a small, slightly-misshapen package. 'Ah, um... They may have gotten a little squished in transport...'  
  
"I am sure they will taste delightful all the same!" Asgore chuckled, accepting the package.  
  
Gaster watched eagerly as Asgore unwrapped the package. A part of him thought the gesture was silly, but it was the very least he could do after everything Asgore had done to encourage his interest in science, resulting in his current position and success.  
  
However, as Asgore opened the package, his smile fell. He stared into the box for several long seconds before he seemed to remember himself and smiled up at Gaster. "They look delicious, Wingdings. Thank you very much."  
  
That smile did not reach his eyes.  
  
'Asgore...' Gaster hesitated, and the king's smile faltered as it became obvious that Gaster had seen his initial reaction.  
  
"Ah... I suppose there is no trying to hide it..." Asgore gave Gaster a sad smile. "I am sure you're wondering why something as simple as a cinnamon bunny would garner such a reaction from me..."  
  
Gaster quietly nodded.  
  
"They remind me of a gift I once received from a very dear friend, long, long ago... A wedding gift, specifically."  
  
'Ah!' Gaster exclaimed, his eye sockets widening in surprise. That would certainly explain it. The tragedy that befell the royal family was well known. The death of the royal children, King Asgore's enraged declaration of war against humanity, and the queen's disgust at her husband's mandate and subsequent disappearance. It was a dark stain on the history of monsters. A wound that, undoubtedly, remained painful for the king to this day. 'I am so sorry. I didn't realize my gift would remind you of your family...'  
  
Asgore opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to hesitate. He struggled for a moment before glancing away from his young friend and murmuring. "No... You do not realize."  
  
Gaster stared at Asgore in confusion. He was quick to pick up that there was more to the king's pain than he had initially thought. 'I'm sorry... I don't understand.'  
  
"Very few do. However, perhaps you should..." Asgore murmured, glancing hesitatingly at Gaster. "I trust you, my friend. I know you will not leak what I am about to tell you."  
  
'Of course not! Your confidence is safe with me.' Gaster quickly agreed.  
  
"It is not just a reminder of the family I have lost. That wedding gift I spoke of was given to me by a very close friend. A friend who happened to be human."  
  
'Human??' Gaster parroted back in surprise. Even before the war, relations between monsters and humans had been strained at best. The two races chose to avoid each other as much as possible, as interactions generally led to conflict. Sure there were always the rumors and tales of the two developing bonds, and sometimes even becoming lovers, but such events were very much the exception. That their very ruler had nurtured a secret friendship with a human was quite surprising.  
  
"Yes... She was not just any human, either. My friend was a mage, as well. A mage whose talents I helped nurture and encourage. Talents that would one day be used to bind us within this mountain..." Asgore continued.  
  
'Bind us here? You don't mean to say your friend was...' Gaster couldn't seem to get the words out, as if by refusing to speak them, he could prevent them from being true.  
  
Asgore nodded. "Indeed. Her name was Moira, and amongst the seven who sealed us down here, she was the barrier mage..."  
  
Gaster sputtered a bit in shock and sorrow. That one of the infamous mages whom all young monsters learned about had been a friend of their king and then betrayed him was beyond imagining. 'But... but WHY? If she was your friend, then why would she create the barrier?'  
  
"I do not know... I have pondered long and hard on what might have driven her to such an act, but I have never come up with an answer. And now, we shall never know, for even if we made it to the surface tomorrow, she would be long-since dead."  
  
Gaster's soul filled with sorrow and pity for his dear friend. Never had he imagined that the wounds he bore over their imprisonment ran so deep. That sorrow soon began to boil into a righteous rage. 'Despicable...'  
  
Asgore looked into his friend's eyes after his declaration.  
  
'Humans are truly despicable creatures.' He, too, looked up, meeting Asgore's eyes. 'I will do everything within my power to not only destroy that barrier, but ensure the humans rue the day they drove us into this mountain. This, I promise you. We will be free, no matter what the cost.'  
  
His friend's sorrows filled him with determination.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Gaster's hands shook as he used his magic to transfer the human soul from its capsule into the DT Extractor. The soul struggled terribly before he managed to secure it with practiced ease. Even once secured, the soul continued to quiver.  
  
_'It's like its quaking in terror...'_ Gaster's mind noted, and he quickly tried to shake the thought from his head. He couldn't think about that. He couldn't consider the fact that these souls seemed to be somewhat aware of what was happening. That they hadn't started struggling until he'd started working with them alone in his own private lab... When he'd cut off his assistants for fear that they'd voice his self-doubts aloud. He couldn't consider how his own conscience hammered at the back of his mind, even then, begging him to listen.  
  
_'No... I can't back down. Not now. We must be free.'_  
  
Gaster prepared the vial and, after adjusting a few settings, set the DT Extractor into motion, watching to make sure nothing went wrong as the needle closed in on the restrained, trembling soul.  
  
He had tried to do things by the book. He really had. However, despite the improvements his contributions had made, hope had been on a sharp, steady decline the past few years. More and more monsters were losing hope and falling down in their prime. It was not yet at epidemic proportions, but the trend was worrisome, none-the-less.  
  
It was around the time that this trend became apparent that Gaster had taken matters into his own hands. He moved the most promising Barrier Project experiments to his own private lab to work on himself, and his more questionable experiments were performed in the basement labs, quickly becoming his true lab, and obfuscated from king and coworker alike.  
  
The DT Extractor whirred to a halt as it finished, and Gaster quickly removed and sealed the bottle of Determination, frowning slightly as he realized that there was notably less than the last time he had extracted from this soul.  
  
_'Perhaps I didn't give it sufficient time to recover?'_ He shook his head. It didn't really matter.  
  
Gaster then opened the soul compartment and grabbed the now pale soul with his magic, easily depositing it back into its capsule and returning it to the others.  
  
Grabbing his supplies, he headed into a nearby lab where another one of his projects was maturing. He looked up at the two fluid-filled tubes before him, each containing a tiny skeleton. This... This was the hardest part of his job. The part he didn't dare speak of to anyone. He had learned a lot from the human souls, but it wasn't enough. Due to their rarity and the devastating loss that losing one would incur, there were some experiments he simply could not perform on the human souls, even in secret. Similarly, he could hardly ask for monster volunteers for the same reasons. He had been at a loss for how to move forward before it occurred to him that he needed subjects that would not be missed if they were lost... Ones that only he would know ever existed. Subjects fragmented and grown from his own soul.  
  
_'Most would call them your sons...'_ Gaster growled slightly and tamped down on his conscience. He could not... WOULD NOT... think of them as anything but the test subjects they were created to be. They existed solely to advance his research into finding and overcoming the limitations of the monster soul, a goal that could, in theory, grant them the power to destroy the barrier themselves and stand against the traditionally more powerful humans that resided on the surface.  
  
He had to stand firm.  
  
He had to be strong.  
  
He could not afford to feel remorse.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"D-Dr. Gaster?"  
  
Gaster came to a halt on the walkway and glanced behind him, vaguely annoyed that he was being further delayed. His inspection of the Core had already taken longer than he would have liked, and he had experiments awaiting his attention back in the True Lab.  
  
'Yes? What is it, Dr. Alphys?' he asked, trying to tamp down on his irritation. She was his protégé, after all, and she showed a great deal of promise. He did not want to dissuade her from the field by making her think she was a burden on him. Stars know she was timid enough as-is.  
  
"U-Um... It's just that... I-I was wondering... how you're feeling?" Alphys asked, twisting her claws together nervously.  
  
'...' Gaster restrained the urge to snap at her. He was running late enough as-is, and she stopped him to ask how he was feeling? 'I am fine, Dr. Alphys. Now, if you'll excuse me...'  
  
"W-Wait!" She cried out, grabbing hold of his sleeve.  
  
Gaster turned back to her and glared. 'Dr. Alphys, I am a very busy man. If you don't have anything of importance to discuss with me, then I suggest you return to your own projects.'  
  
Alphys winced. "B-But... I d-do have something i-important to discuss with y-you..."  
  
Gaster sighed in agitation. 'Well, then, spit it out.'  
  
"Y-You see, I... t-that is, the king and I... w-we're both growing v-very concerned a-about your health..."  
  
'...' Gaster stared hard at Alphys. 'I already told you, I am in perfect health.'  
  
_'...If you ignore the borderline malnutrition due to sporadic meals and minimal sleep caused by work overload and regular nightmares...'_ His mind helpfully amended. Thankfully, he had enough sense to keep that to himself, though.  
  
"I-It's not just y-your physical health we're w-worried about... Y-You spend almost e-every waking hour i-in your private lab... T-The king said he w-went by your a-apartment the other d-day, and your n-neighbors said you h-hadn't been home in m-months! A-And on top of that, w-when you DO leave y-your lab, you o-only have time for business... Y-You used to l-laugh, and s-smile, and t-take the time to e-encourage the r-rest of us... Now... N-Now you don't even bother to say 'hello'..."  
  
Gaster took a few steadying breaths, than gave Alphys a wan smile. 'While I admit I may have gotten a little over-zealous with my projects, I assure you that I am fine. While I cannot simply set them aside for now, I am hopeful that I will soon reach a stage where I will be allowed more free time, and perhaps then you, the king, and I can have that afternoon tea we've been putting off the past few months?'  
  
Alphys hesitated slightly, worried that he was just making up another excuse to assuage her for now, but then nodded. "O-Of course, Dr. Gaster."  
  
That settled, Gaster turned and continued along the walkway.  
  
He was just about to turn the corner when he sensed magic nearby, along with a crushing aura of dread. His head snapped up in the direction he sensed it from and saw... a rat? The rat was perched on a pipe above him, staring down at him with glowing red eyes...  
  
_'What?!'_ Gaster gaped in shock as a soul suddenly lurched out of the rat towards him. _'That's a HUMAN soul!'_ Given that he'd been working with human souls for years, there was no mistaking it. As he was still reeling in confusion over why a human soul had been inhabiting a rat, the soul collided with his chest, phasing through his shirt and ribs.  
  
'Ghk!' Gaster choked out as pain lanced through his very soul, causing him to collapse.  
  
"D-Dr. Gaster?!" a voice shouted, and within moments, Alphys was at his side. "O-Oh my god! W-What happened?! A-Are you okay?!"  
  
Gaster tried to raise his hands to sign, but couldn't. His own body refused to obey his commands, only twitching in response.  
  
_"Ha ha ha ha ha..."_ a voice, not his own, echoed mockingly in his head. _"What an easy little puppet you are to control... One could even say it's child's play..."_  
  
_'W-What?! Who are you?! What have you done to me?!'_ He yelled mentally, a strange burning sensation beginning to spread through his body.  
  
_"I am the usher of this world's destruction, and you are merely a pawn."_  
  
Gaster watched through his own eyes as his body started to stand of its own accord. However, it did not get far, as his leg collapsed under him on the first step.  
  
"D-Don't try to stand, Dr. Gaster! H-Help is on the way! ... Oh... O-Oh god..." Alphys was looking at him with a panic-stricken face, her cell phone clutched in one hand and her other on his shoulder before she jerked it back in alarm.  
  
Both Alphys and Gaster stared in horror as goop dripped from Alphys' claws from the brief contact.  
  
"Y-You're m-melting?! O-Oh god! Oh g-god!"  
  
_"Hmph. Why is this body melting?? Maybe a skeletal body just isn't solid enough? That dinosaur monster looks much more sturdy..."_ The voice considered, turning his head to take in Dr. Alphys.  
  
_'N-NO! DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!'_ Gaster snarled at the voice.  
  
_"Ha ha ha ha ha! And just what are you going to do to stop me?"_ the voice mocked.  
  
Gaster began to struggle once again. His body jerked and twitched, part of his mass dripping with each movement. Each bit of movement grew stronger as he became increasingly determined, until he managed a powerful lurch backwards. Gaster's lower back collided with the railing, but it did not do much to stop him thanks to his tall, lanky form, and before anyone could react he was falling head-over-heels into the magically-charged magma below.  
  
"DR. GASTER!!" Alphys screamed, reaching fruitlessly over the railing as he fell.  
  
_"Shit!"_ the voice cursed as Gaster's body hit the magma.  
  
The human soul immediately released its captive and burst from his chest to escape to safety. It was not unscathed, though, and would undoubtedly need time to heal before it would be a threat again, assuming the soul survived.  
  
Gaster, now back in control of his deteriorating body, looked up at the horrified face of Alphys. She was a good monster. She was intelligent and passionate, and he had no doubt that she might one day surpass even him. And she was a good friend. Probably one of the closest friends he'd ever had. He had no doubt that saving her from the human soul had been the right choice. He just hoped that she could succeed in her research where he had failed.  
  
He gave her one last encouraging smile before his world went dark.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Dark...  
  
Darker...  
  
Yet Darker...  
  
... And yet, disturbingly familiar. All around him there was a nothingness so deep, so penetrating, that not even light seemed to exist here. It was an occurrence he had experienced only one other time: during one of his experiments in his True Lab. A place he had dubbed, 'The Void'.  
  
Its discovery had been an accident, really. He was working on a machine with which he'd hoped to turn back the flow of time. To open a portal to a time before the barrier existed. Then, with the way out clear, and with modern technology at their disposal, they would destroy humanity and claim the surface. The machine, however, malfunctioned, and instead of opening a portal to the past, it tore a hole in reality itself, giving him access to the Void.  
  
Of course, being ever the opportunist, Gaster had seized the opportunity to study the Void and see how its unusual properties might be used to aid them in their escape. Perhaps they could bypass the barrier by passing through the Void? Maybe it could be used offensively or defensively against the humans once they reached the surface? A way to quickly eliminate their weaponry? Or perhaps a prison?  
  
He tried sending rats into the Void, their cages tethered to reality with heavy cables for easy retrieval, to see if life could survive there, but obtained mixed results. It wasn't that any of the rats DIED, but there were some... peculiarities. Odd behaviors, and the occasional unusual ability. Given that they were rats, it was hard to tell, but they almost seemed to have developed some form of PTSD. Well, except for rat Number 22, who apparently developed some sort of escape artist ability, which it used to get the one thing in the universe it loved more than anything: cheese. It made it easy to find, but after trying, and failing, to keep Number 22 contained, Gaster gave up and just made sure to keep a supply of cheese in its cage, which seemed to work.  
  
What Gaster had needed was a subject that could talk, that could tell him what it was like in the Void. Having established that it did not appear to be deadly, Gaster elected to use one of his two sentient subjects. Though he was the more fragile of the two, Gaster chose Subject 1 for his more analytical mind and ability to articulate his experiences clearly.  
  
He had been unprepared for the results. Though Subject 1 had been... reluctant... he managed to get him through the portal, tether attached, with the instruction that he was to study everything to the best of his ability, and that he would be pulled back out after 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes was up and he pulled Subject 1 back out of the Void, the first thing he did was yell at Gaster, tears streaming from his wide, terrified eyes and bones trembling.  
  
_"you said i'd only be in there for 15 minutes!" Subject 1 had shouted, voice trembling._  
  
_"You WERE in there for only 15 minutes."_  
  
_"liar! you left me in there for much longer than that! i even tried to pull myself back out, but the tether was gone!"_  
  
_"What are you talking about? The tether is still attached, even now."_  
  
_"b-but... i swear i couldn't feel it... couldn't find it... i couldn't find **anything**... it was like... it was like nothing **existed**... i..." Subject 1 stumbled over his words, trying desperately to understand what he had experienced before breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably._  
  
After witnessing the lingering symptoms of Subject 1's acute stress after being exposed to the Void for only 15 minutes, Gaster scrapped the idea of trying to use it to get around the barrier.  
  
Of course, now he seemed to be getting to experience what Subject 1 had been through, first hand. There truly did seem to be nothing here. Not in the sense of an empty room, but a nothingness that extended beyond mortal comprehension. He tried to move, to look around, but found he had no body TO move. At least, he thought that was the case. Being unable to move meant he was also unable to look down at himself. The silence was deafening, and though he mentally described this place as 'dark', such a term did not seem appropriate. After all, what is darkness in a place where light does not exist? It was like all his senses had been rendered useless at once. He had nothing left but his thoughts.  
  
With nothing left to distract him, the weight of his conscience came crashing down upon him.  
  
_"Of course those human souls were aware and afraid! Monsters aren't physical creatures, their bodies are made entirely out of their souls and magic, so why should human souls become nothing but objects outside of their physical bodies? If anything, it would be the other way around, where the body is nothing without the soul! And you performed HOW many experiments on them? How many times did you stab into them with the DT Extractor? Penetrating their most vulnerable, sensitive form in what would have undoubtedly been an incredibly painful and violating procedure? And you thought HUMANS were disgusting..."_  
  
_"And what of Subjects 1 and 2? Your SONS in everything but name. Not that you ever gave them names. Fragments of your very soul given life thanks to your own hubris... Each with their own personality and quirks, and every bit a pair of living, sentient monsters. You treated them like objects. Objects that existed solely to further yourself. How many times did you push them when they balked at performing an experiment? How many times did you ignore them when they begged you to stop? And for what? Nothing you did bore fruit. You never found a way to make monsters as strong as humans. If anything, you made Subject 1 WEAKER. You saw how his max HP began to decline after his experience in the Void. How the spark of defiance he always held onto seemed to die. And now you're here, and no one knows they exist. You've damned them both to a horrible death."_  
  
Gaster had no idea how long he stood there, haunted by every shred of guilt, every regret. It could have been minutes, days, months, or even years. It truly felt like forever, though, and it was driving him mad. He wanted nothing more than to turn to dust, if he wasn't already dead. Dead like Subjects 1 and 2 would surely be locked away in the True Lab...  
  
Almost like flicking on a light in a pitch-black room, something suddenly came into focus. Gaster winced at the unexpected sensation before taking in the new development. It was like watching a play from on-stage, with everything happening around him, but no one reacting to his presence like he wasn't even there. Before him stood Subjects 1 and 2 in the True Lab. Their cell, which could usually only be opened by him, seemed to have failed, and they were walking around, cautiously exploring the lab.  
  
_"WHERE ARE WE, ANYWAY?"_  
  
_"dunno. looks like some sort of doctor's office, or lab."_  
  
_"WHAT'S A DOCTOR'S OFFICE?"_  
  
_"it's an office where doctors go."_  
  
_"OH! THAT MAKES SENSE! .... I DON'T SEE ANY DOCTORS."_  
  
_"me neither."_  
  
_The two continued their exploration, but found the place to be empty. Subject 1 flipped through a few papers in Gaster's office._  
  
_"huh. that's weird."_  
  
_"WHAT?"_  
  
_"there's a lot of information missing from these papers. it's like there's space for them, but those parts are just... blank."_  
  
_"MAYBE IT'S A PUZZLE WHERE YOU NEED TO FILL IN THE BLANKS? I LIKE THOSE ONES!"_  
  
_"maybe? seems kind of weird to be a puzzle."_  
  
_"YOU SHOULD TRY FILLING ONE OUT! I'M SURE YOU'D BE GOOD AT IT, BROTHER!"_  
  
_"...what did you just call me??" Subject 1 turned to Subject 2 in confusion._  
  
_"ER... BROTHER?" Subject 2 responded, equally confused and uncertain._  
  
_"why'd you call me that?"_  
  
_"IT JUST... FELT RIGHT?"_  
  
_Subject 1 seemed to consider that for a moment. "... yeah. your right. it does feel right... brother." He gave Subject 2 a fond smile. His smile then began to falter. "erm... what was your name again??"_  
  
_"REALLY?! YOU CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER MY NAME?! IT'S-" Subject 2 stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open for a moment as something occurred to him. He snapped his jaw shut before responding sheepishly, "ERM... WHAT IS MY NAME??"_  
  
_The two stood quietly in thought, looking pensive and unsure._  
  
_"...it's weird, you know? this place is familiar... **you're** familiar... but for the life of me i can't remember why..."_  
  
_"IT'S THE SAME FOR ME..."_  
  
_Something seemed to click for Subject 1. "i know! i saw something on one of these papers..." he began flipping through the papers again, leaving an ungodly mess. "ah! here it is!" he held up the sheet he was looking for._  
  
_"WHAT IS IT?"_  
  
_"it's some sort of notes on a pair of subjects or patients or something, and i figure, since you and i are the only ones here, it might have some information about us!"_  
  
_"OOH! WHAT DOES IT SAY?"_  
  
_"let's see... 'Despite coming from the same soul, each subject possesses unique traits.'"_  
  
_"COMING FROM THE SAME SOUL? AH HAH! I TOLD YOU WE WERE BROTHERS!" Subject 2 boasted proudly._  
  
_"hehe. you sure did." Subject 1 smiled at him before continuing to read. "'Though most monsters cannot sense the font a person speaks in, fonts are a very important part of skeleton identity, so i will list my findings here, for posterity. The first subject, the smaller of the two, though clever, speaks in a lower, lazier manner. This is consistent with the Comic Sans font. The larger of the two subjects is almost the complete opposite. He is energetic and exuberant, speaking loud and bold. His font is of the Papyrus variety, of which there can be no doubt.'" Subject 1 finished reading._  
  
_"SO, YOU MUST BE THE FIRST SANS SKELETON, AND THAT WOULD MEAN I'M THE SECOND PAPYRUS SKELETON?"_  
  
_"it seems so, yeah."_  
  
_"WELL, IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU, SANS!"_  
  
_"uh, those would be our fonts. that doesn't make it our names..." Subject 1 hesitated._  
  
_"DON'T BE SILLY! IT SAID OUR FONTS WERE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR IDENTITY, DIDN'T IT? AND WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR NAMES?"_  
  
_Subject 1 seemed to contemplate that. "huh. you've got a good point there." he smiled at Subject 2. "well, it's nice to meet you, too, papyrus."_  
  
_Subject 2, or rather Papyrus as he'd dubbed himself, grinned brightly at his brother, Sans. "NYEH HEH HEH! NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY, WHAT DO YOU SAY WE GO EXPLORE THAT ELEVATOR THING YOU FOUND EARLIER?"_  
  
_Sans, happier than Gaster had seen him in years, smiled at his brother. "lead the way, bro."_  
  
Gaster watched the two enter the elevator, the only way in or out of the True Lab, and ascend to freedom. Well, as free as one could get in the underground. Though he was secretly glad to see that they survived, Gaster was still very confused. Why hadn't they been able to remember anything? Curious, Gaster began to concentrate, trying to repeat whatever he'd done to activate this vision. After a bit, he found that if he focused his mind just so, he could direct his view of the world, both spatially and temporally.  
  
_King Asgore hummed thoughtfully as he sipped his tea. "So, you want to know more about Dr. Alphys?" he asked his guest._  
  
_His guest, a young buff fish woman with a number of scars and bandages covering her left eye, nodded. "That's the yellow dinosaur monster who was here last week, right? Then, yeah!" she responded enthusiastically._  
  
_"If I might ask, why the sudden interest, Undyne? You have never asked about Dr. Alphys before."_  
  
_"Erm... well..." The fish monster, Undyne, became sheepish and started to blush. "I've never really spoken with her before... and then last week, when she noticed what happened to my eye, she asked to take a look at it... I was still pretty upset with myself for letting it happen, but she seemed so... concerned, so I let her. She was... actually pretty cool about the whole thing. Didn't wig out about it like I expected her to. She just... calmly looked it over, while talking to me about this show she watches with this one guy who's got an eye patch, and how badass he is, and... well, it actually made me feel better. I figured I'd never be able to return to the Royal Guard with such a glaring weakness as being blind in one eye, but the way she talked made me feel like I could still be strong, could still be useful even without my eye. And I, well... I realized I never asked her anything about herself, not even her name..." she rambled._  
  
_Asgore gave her a soft, knowing smile. "Of course. Dr. Alphys is our Senior Science Advisor, working directly under the Royal Scientist."_  
  
_"Oh! So she works in Hotland!" Undyne perked up. "And she works for the Royal Scientist? That's pretty cool! ... But didn't the last Royal Scientist retire years ago??"_  
  
_Asgore's eyes went wide at that thought. "Gee... You are correct. Dr. Serpez retired over thirty years ago... I normally elect a new Royal Scientist immediately... Why has it been so long...?" Asgore looked incredibly confused._  
  
Gaster was equally confused as he watched. While all other memories remained intact, it seemed that when it came to himself, even King Asgore could not recall him. His mind whirled with possible explanations. Perhaps it was because he was in the Void? But it couldn't be just that, because he hadn't lost his memories of the rats or Subject 1 while they were in the void. Perhaps he'd been able to remember them because there had been an active portal, or because they had had physical tethers to reality. The way he had ended up here may also have played a roll. He had thrown himself in the magically-charged magma of the Core... He'd already recognized the reality-warping properties the Core caused in the magma itself, but even if it was only his soul that wound up in the Void, he'd have no physical presence left in reality, as the magma would have destroyed even his dust. Perhaps that is why no one remembered him... With neither dust nor soul left behind, he had simply... ceased to exist.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Gaster continued to peruse reality, growing increasingly adept at directing his view through not only space, but time as well. While his accomplishments, such as the Core, remained intact, he himself seemed to be absent from history. He was somewhat torn on how to feel about that. On the one hand, he had done some terrible things in the end, a fact his conscience was all too happy to remind him of here in the Void, and perhaps his secession of existence would undo the harm he'd caused, but on the other hand, most of the progress or theories he had for breaking the barrier were now lost to society. Dr. Alphys, whom King Asgore had promoted to Royal Scientist, had been understandably baffled by the messy, now incomplete notes she'd found in the True Lab when she moved in. It did not help that he wrote exclusively in wingdings, a language rarely understood by anyone other than skeleton monsters.  
  
He also wouldn't deny that it hurt his pride to know that even his positive contributions, such as the Core, were now uncredited.  
  
He was also growing frustrated with his helplessness. His ability to see through time and space seemed to be... limited. He could view only events related to the history of monsters, or so it seemed. The future was similarly obfuscated, though maybe it was simply the undetermined nature of it that made it difficult to discern. However, despite the things that he COULD see, he could do nothing about the events but watch them unfold. He was less corporeal than even those ghosts at the snail farm in Waterfall.  
  
There was one thing he could do, however. It wasn't much, and only he would know, but he could finally find the answer to the question that had plagued Asgore for all these centuries. He could find out why the Barrier Mage had betrayed them all.  
  
The act was tricky. It was a simple matter now to focus in on events surrounding the people he knew... But to hone in on someone he'd never met... It took some work. Eventually he followed the threads of Asgore's past back to before the barrier... before the war... until he came upon a scene with his dear friend, his former retainer, and a human woman. With her now framed in his mind, he went back further. Back to when they first met.  
  
And Gaster watched.  
  
He watched Asgore and his retainer rescue the injured human. He watched her wariness grow into curiosity, and her curiosity into friendship. He saw Asgore encourage and train her to use her magic, and though she was extremely hesitant at first, he watched her gradually learn to love even that part of herself which she seemed to fear.  
  
He watched the three grow as close in their friendship as any monster could. He would hardly have believed it were possible if he was not witnessing it himself. Yet, in the context of what was to come, it all seemed so surreal. Despite his best efforts to spot the telltale signs of inevitable betrayal, he saw none. The mage seemed just as happy to be their friend as they were to be hers.  
  
Then, the war broke out, and the missing pieces of the puzzle began to come together. Asgore had just warned the mage about the dangers of being seen together, and bid her farewell and the hope that they would be able to meet again once the war was over. The mage agreed, also wishing him well, and returned to her village. That night, she was discovered. The people of her village, the very friends and neighbors she'd known all her life, bound her and turned her over to their authorities for the crimes of possessing the ability to use magic and conspiring with monsters. He followed along as she was carted off, beaten and abused before being locked in a pitch-black dungeon all by herself and so tightly bound she could barely move. For days he watched as she drifted in and out of consciousness, crying when she was awake and being plagued by terrible nightmares when she slept. Gaster found that he could relate to her, given his own current imprisonment. She soiled herself, her limbs were rubbed raw, and when the guards weren't abusing her and treating her with contempt, they were taunting her with the promise of food and drink just out of her reach.  
  
Finally, she received a visit from the human king. He sent her an ultimatum: serve him in his war against monsters, or die. Gaster felt a small surge of respect when she balked at the idea. Still, the threat was a hefty one, and the next day she capitulated.  
  
Gaster watched as she reluctantly used her magic to protect the human troops. Despite the lives she'd undoubtedly saved with her magic, the humans continued to treat her as a pariah. Yet, she continued to obey them, the ever lingering threat keeping her in line.  
  
As time wore on, her LOVE began to grow and she became increasingly distant. Yet, despite the fact that accepting her part in the slaughter of monsters had grown easier for her, not once did she take any joy in it. In fact, as he continued to watch her life unfold, from battles, to the creation of the barrier, not once did Gaster see her smile again. She was a twisted, broken shell of the cheerful young woman she had once been.  
  
Despite all that monsters had suffered underground... Despite all he'd been taught to believe about humans and especially mages... Gaster pitied her. She had once been such a kind person, but the xenophobic fears of her own people had crushed her spirit.  
  
The hatred he'd once used to spur himself towards increasingly questionable experiments began to ease.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Freedom.  
  
Monsterkind was finally free to walk the surface once again.  
  
And it was not due to the efforts of their King, or Royal Scientist, or any other monster.  
  
It was thanks to the unstoppable kindness and determination of one small human child.  
  
With it came the unexpected. The Void, a realm indefinable in terms of breadth and width, seemed to have expanded somehow. The vast nothingness that he now occupied had, apparently, also been contained by the barrier, a fact which fascinated Gaster to no end. While he had already realized that his view of history had been restricted to events inside the barrier and before its creation, he had thought the limitation was with himself. Yet, in some indescribable way, he could feel that the Void stretched further now.  
  
With the barrier gone and the Void made whole again, he could finally see what had been happening outside the barrier for all these centuries. What he discovered was startling. There appeared to be a significant time gap between the surface world and that of the underground. It was as if years, possibly decades or more, had passed on the surface while time stood still for monsters. Gaster had been aware of Prince Asriel's revival as Flowey, and his discovery of his time magic, but he had been unaware of just how much the soulless child had abused it. It had been impossible to measure in the timelessness of the Void. He had also been unaware that the surface world had been unaffected. The result was monsters emerging into a world that had continued its march into the future while they had stagnated.  
  
While it certainly was not the intent, perhaps that rift in time was for the better. As he explored the history of the surface, Gaster learned a great deal about humanity. While they were indeed capable of the many atrocities and savagery he had been taught about in his primary school days, they were also capable of incredible acts of compassion and love. He witnessed their wars, yes, but also their acts of charity, relief efforts for those effected by disaster, and cries for social reform. Their compassion even extended beyond their species, from conservation efforts to try and fix the damage to nature caused by their ancestors and less scrupulous members, to the animals many accepted as members of their own families.  
  
As time continued, they also grew less and less tolerant of the kind of hatred that had lead to the Monster-Human War. People banded together to stand against injustice. They reached out across cultural divides and sought peace. And while they were still far from the universal peace and love monsterkind was known for, the strides they had made since the time of the war were great, indeed.  
  
For the first time ever, Gaster began to wonder if peace with the humans might actually be possible.  
  
And on the monster side of the divide, the stagnation in time, while not without consequences, may very well have stemmed the tide of hopelessness and despair that had been threatening his people. While monsterkind had been unable to move forward, nor could the growing issue of otherwise healthy monsters falling down worsen. There was no telling how many monsters on the brink of giving up entirely had been spared that fate.  
  
Still, while things were looking better than they ever had before, there was one thing Gaster had noticed that filled him with dread. The human child had not been the only human soul in the underground roaming unrestrained by King Asgore. The soul responsible for his entrapment in the void had resurfaced as well with the appearance of the child. He had watched fearfully as the soul tried to control and manipulate them, but the child's soul was strong and determined. The soul was unable to take direct control of the child, and the child quietly rejected its attempts to sway them down darker paths.  
  
Yet, even with the barrier gone, the soul continued its dogged attempts to take control over the child. Gaster worried who would win in their battle of wills, the compassionate soul of the human child, or the soul blackened by excessive LOVE.  
  
Worried what ends the soul sought, and no longer restricted by the barrier and the looping of time, Gaster began to look to the multitude of possibilities that was the future.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
He was not alone.  
  
He had grown used to the occasional blips of someone passing through the Void, usually Sans via his 'shortcuts' as he called them, but this time the presence lingered.  
  
Gaster found his unexpected visitor easily enough. It was a human soul.  
  
A human soul whose green, scarred surface he recognized immediately.  
  
The Barrier Mage... The anger he once held for this human had long since faded. He had seen her suffer because of her gift of magic. Even in the present, in a world far more accepting than it had ever been before, she faced uncertainty and hatred. Even from monsterkind.  
  
But, what was her soul doing HERE?  
  
Gaster focused his attention on recent events surrounding her, and saw her violent demise at the hands of an intruder. While that explained why her soul was separated from her body, it did not explain why her soul was in the Void.  
  
But how to communicate with her? He could not speak. He had no physical presence here.  
  
Perhaps he had been looking at this problem from the wrong angle. He had once believed himself to be immobile here, yet with the slightest thought he could navigate the timeline to view it from any perspective he liked. Maybe he was too focused on physical sensations. Maybe all he actually needed to do will it to be true.  
  
Gaster tried it and was both delighted to see it work, and also exasperated that the solution had been so simple this entire time. The only downfall was that he seemed to be in the half-melted state he'd been in just before his demise.  
  
No matter. He could suffer his vanity later.  
  
The mage's soul seemed to notice him now, and he willed his voice to carry in the familiar sound of wingdings and his hands to form the well practiced signs.  
  
'Just what are you doing in the Void?' he asked.  
  
He was mildly surprised when the mage responded easily, apparently undaunted by her lack of a physicality.  
  
"I always come here to wait."  
  
Wait? She just died. Did her soul linger in the void while waiting to reincarnate? That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.  
  
'Curious. You are the first I have seen here since I became trapped.' he commented.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked.  
  
'I am no one. I no longer exist. But, when I did exist, I was known as W.D. Gaster.' Gaster felt the Void shudder and distort in mild protest at the uttering of his now non-existent name. He allowed time to filter into his view. He saw the mage's friends and family in mourning, and the human child arguing the case of using their power to save her. Despite what she had suffered, she was dearly loved and missed. 'But you... you are not forgotten, like I am. I can see them. They mourn your passing. They remember you. They seek to bring you back.'  
  
"They?" the mage responded in confusion.  
  
Oh... It seemed that she was suffering from the opposite problem as him. While no one could remember him, she could remember no one.  
  
Suddenly, a shining light appeared in the Void. A hole leading back to reality. Gaster quickly realized that the child had succeeded in convincing Sans and was in the process of turning back time. Yet, the mage's soul jerked away from the light, a sense of fear, pain, and depression coming from her as she seemed to begin remembering her former life.  
  
If she did not return soon, the opportunity would pass and she would likely move on to her next life instead.  
  
Gaster did not want that to happen. He had seen the myriad possible futures and knew the events that were most likely to occur. And, while there was always the possibility of disaster, the future of monsterkind, as well as her own, stood a greater chance of being prosperous together, than separated. And he'd be damned if he allowed nonexistence to stop him from fulfilling his promise to do everything he could to ensure the prosperity of monsters.  
  
'Hm... I have been trapped in this Void for a long time, with no chance of escape. You, however, pass in and out of the Void between lives as if it was nothing. Even if you refuse this, you will be reborn into reality again eventually, but then you will have to start over. What lies before you now is a rare opportunity, indeed. The chance to return to who you once were. Tell me... is there truly nothing in that life worth fighting for?' Gaster appealed to her ties to her friends and family. The very people she had put herself at risk to protect.  
  
The soul seemed to hesitate with indecision, the memories still in the process of returning. Gaster waited with bated breath for her decision.  
  
"Papyrus..." she murmured...  
  
...And Gaster smiled as he knew he'd succeeded, for if she remembered Papyrus, than she undoubtedly remembered the love they shared.  
  
Gaster watched as the mage's soul shuddered slightly as she was overcome with emotion, the red of determination bleeding in at the edges of her soul.  
  
'So, it seems you've made your decision.' Gaster mused, satisfied. He hesitated briefly, then decided it was best to warn her. 'Going back will not be easy. Things may not turn out as you hope.'  
  
The mage's determination did not even waver. "They can never turn out as I hope if I don't even try."  
  
Gaster smiled broadly at that. 'True. I wish you luck, human. Perhaps we will meet again between this and your next lifetime.'  
  
With that, the mage's soul allowed itself to be drawn into the light, and disappeared.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
It was happening.  
  
The worst possible future was drawing ever closer.  
  
A future filled with nothing but death and despair.  
  
The child, determined though they were, had faltered, and the blackened soul had seized the opportunity to gain control of them and their time magic.  
  
And now... Now they were Reseting.  
  
Reality itself was being violently ripped apart, the destructive intent of the blackened soul showing through, tearing holes between what remained and the Void.  
  
And Gaster felt helpless to stop it.  
  
He had failed.  
  
He watched the world fall apart as the child's power raged, all the while the people of Ebott City were unaware.  
  
Except for one.  
  
The mage was partially awake and aware.  
  
That was it.  
  
That was the solution.  
  
The barrier that had once sealed them underground had also prevented Flowey's time powers from effecting the rest of the world. It may not work with her being on her own this time, but he had watched her become strong under the tutelage of her friends.  
  
It was also their only hope.  
  
Gaster willed himself to one of the holes in the Void and forced his way through. It took a great deal of effort to hold himself together in this collapsing reality, but it was something he knew he had to do.  
  
Gaster found himself in the bedroom. 'You need to use your magic, human! They are resetting the world and you may be the only one capable of retaining your memories and preventing disaster!' he warned her desperately.  
  
But she did not react to his presence at all, remaining in that same state of half-sleep. Not even the blurring between reality and the Void could alter his state of non-existence.  
  
If only he could get the message across some other way...  
  
Another hole to the Void existed nearby... This one was inside the computer. Perhaps if he could effect it just enough...  
  
It was no simple task, but Gaster was able to use the computer's connection to the Void to manipulate it.  
  
He had to hurry.  
  
WAKE UP, HUMAN! OR ALL YOUR EFFORTS ARE FOR NAUGHT!  
  
The message appeared on the screen. He then realized he'd written it in wingdings, an uncommon language among monsters, let alone humans.  
  
'Shit...' Gaster cursed. While he could read the more common written languages, he's always found it easier to write in his native wingdings. It had never been a major issue while he existed, as the king was literate in wingdings, and he preferred to discuss the particulars of projects in person, anyway, to prevent any misunderstandings, but now he was wishing he'd paid closer attention to the common languages.  
  
Unfortunately, he was running out of time. The walls had begun to fall apart, and the rest of the room, including the computer, were quickly following. All he could do was try to warn the mage and hope she understood.  
  
DO NOT LET THEM DESTROY YOUR MEMORIES! YOU MUST NOT FORGET!  
  
The mage's eyes glanced towards the new message in fear and confusion before the computer melted away.  
  
Gaster watched helplessly as the mage grew increasingly panicked in her immobile state as first the room, and then Papyrus crumbled away around her. Her body faded to dust until only her frightened soul remained.  
  
Gaster was filled with despair as that, too, began to crumble.  
  
Suddenly, her normally green soul was flooded with red. Before the flittering particles that had already flaked off could blow away and disappear, they were trapped within a barrier. The barrier shrunk, desperately pushing the flecks back into her soul.  
  
She was fighting back against the Reset.  
  
Gaster had never been so relieved. However, he had already overtaxed himself staying in this maelstrom this long, and he reluctantly returned to the calmness of the Void.  
  
All he could do now was wait, and hope.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Time reset and, much to his dismay, Gaster found himself restricted once again to the piece of the Void within the barrier. He had no way to access time outside anymore, and thus no way to know if the barrier mage's magic had been successful in shielding what remained of her from the ravages of the Reset.  
  
All he could do was wait and hope.  
  
...  
  
It was a living nightmare.  
  
He watched in shock as their long lost Queen Toriel was slain. He grieved as Papyrus was cut down while trying to sway the child onto the path of mercy. He watched solemnly as the head of the Royal Guard, Undyne, pushed herself well beyond her limits trying to stop them. His relief that Alphys had eluded the child was soon replaced with sympathy as she barely held together watching her friends die through her cameras. He was filled with frustration as Mettaton activated his flimsy and faulty NEO mode.  
  
And he was filled with regret for every monster slain in-between.  
  
The child had now arrived at the Hall of Judgment. Before them, Sans waited. He had always been clever, and between him and his brother, he was more the realist. He was painfully aware just how dangerous the child was, his brother's, and everyone else's, dust a lingering testament to that.  
  
Gaster saw the familiar tell in his lazy countenance. The tell that meant he had no intention to play by the rules.  
  
The battle began and, just as he'd predicted, Sans wasted no time in catching his opponent off-guard, killing them within seconds.  
  
But the possessed child also controlled the timeline. They could not be stopped so easily.  
  
He watched them battle again and again, and, just like they'd done with Undyne, the child used their power to learn Sans' attacks. Sure, Sans' vague awareness of the Loads and Resets, and impressive powers of observation allowed him a bit more leeway in his attack patterns than anyone else, but that could only take him so far.  
  
Gaster feared that his efforts were futile.  
  
Then, something different happened. Just as Sans impaled the child, someone else came skidding into the room.  
  
It was the mage!  
  
Her eyes widened in horror at the scene, and Sans, startled by the intrusion, reflexively summoned an array of bones. Before he could act further, though, the timeline reset to the previous Save point.  
  
Gaster had been so focused on the battle between the child and Sans that he hadn't even noticed the mage entering the timeline. But she was here now, and that probably meant she remembered!  
  
His assumption was confirmed when the mage returned to the room again, much swifter this time. She explained about the reset and how she was here to help.  
  
Gaster once again began to hope.  
  
He watched as the child told their story as they continued to fight Sans. He listened as they talked about how they'd suffered and felt betrayed. How they'd taken it upon themself to punish both monsterkind and humanity.  
  
He watched as the mage finally plucked up the courage to join in the fight against the child.  
  
More than once, they skirted death.  
  
More than once she sacrificed herself to stop the child.  
  
It wasn't enough. Her green soul was that of kindness. She could not match the child's determination, and she knew it.  
  
...But she knew who could.  
  
The mage began to encourage and plead with the child's true soul to fight back, to take control of their body once more. Slowly, it seemed to be working.  
  
Until, eventually, they succeeded. The blackened soul's grasp upon the child was severed, and the soul, weaker without a body, was imprisoned.  
  
Once the last loose ends were tidied up, the child reset again, this time to set things right. Gaster watched them make their way through the underground once again, determined to befriend every monster and free them for good this time.  
  
And now they had a new ally ready to help them on the surface.  
  
As the barrier broke and Gaster once again gained access to the potential futures, he couldn't help but smile. It may not have happened the way that he expected, but he was happy none-the-less to finally see monsters facing a prosperous future on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look! I'm back from the dead! It's been... What? Almost 6 months since I last updated this? Well, I suppose this WAS intended to be a casual "post as I feel inspired" sort of thing. Although I've actually had this one ready for a couple weeks, and I just sort of... got side-tracked from transferring it from my word document to here. Whoops!
> 
> Anyway, you all can thank Rebecca for requesting something about everyone's favorite non-existent scientist!


	5. Forget-Me-Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No spoilers for any of TotS. Technically this could be it's own separate one-shot.
> 
> Scene Description:  
> Long ago, two races ruled over the Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. Among the monsters lived a prince, destined to one day lead them through the hardest times monsterkind had ever known. Yet, before that, he was a polite, hopeful young man doing his best to grow into the kind of leader his people could be proud of, and, unbeknownst to him, he was about to meet the young lady for whom his soul would yearn for the rest of his days.

"So? How do I look?" Asgore asked his retainer, Gerson.  
  
Gerson examined him carefully, scratching his chin in thought before answering. "I'd say it looks like you need some new clothes, again, my lord. Well, unless you were GOING for the 'stuffed sausage' look."  
  
"It is rude to exaggerate about such things, Gerson!" Asgore huffed indignantly.  
  
The moment was interrupted by a popping sound and Gerson ducked his head into his shell as a button whizzed past.  
  
"Er... though you MAY have a point... It is a bit more... snug... then I recall..." Asgore murmured in embarrassment. "I will just... uh... change back into my other clothes..."  
  
Asgore ducked back into his room and sighed. This situation was a little frustrating. He had had to replace almost his entire wardrobe just a few months ago. The fact that his pants had stopped mid-shin made it readily apparent that he'd had a growth spurt. This time, it seems his body had decided to fill out his once gangly frame. His more casual clothes were tighter, but still fine for now, but his more formal regalia clearly needed replacing.  
  
"I've sent someone to ahead to let the Royal Tailor know that you will be by shortly to have new formalwear made, sire." Gerson called in through the door.  
  
"Thank you, Gerson." Asgore called back after pulling his shirt over his head.  
  
He just hoped that something could be made in time for the party tomorrow.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"Do not let me forget to send some flowers and a thank you card to Ms. Tula. She did a marvelous job on these robes in such a short time." Asgore told Gerson as he looked himself over one last time in the mirror.  
  
"I agree, sire. Who would have thought a simple change of clothes was all it took to make you no longer look like a newborn giraffe?" Gerson smirked at him.  
  
Asgore shot Gerson a scathing look, but the expression quickly cracked into a sardonic smile. He knew not to take Gerson's quips seriously. He was his retainer and, more importantly, best friend, after all. He would not deny that his growth spurts throughout the past couple years had oftentimes left him tall, gangly, and awkward. Why, just a few years ago he'd been smaller than Gerson, and now he towered over his close friend! Gerson had taken the opportunity to tease him about it, but he'd also been one of his greatest supports whenever he was feeling down.  
  
He could not ask for a truer friend.  
  
"Shall we go, my lord? We don't want to be late for the party."  
  
Asgore nodded. "Yes. I'm sure mother and father are waiting for us."  
  
The two walked through the halls of the palace towards the event hall. Many of the guests had already arrived, eager to rub elbows with some of the most influential members of monster society.  
  
Asgore gave some of the guests he recognized a few quick greetings as he weaved his way over to his parents.  
  
"Oh! There he is!" the queen smiled brightly at him as he approached.  
  
"Ah hah! I see Ms. Tula was able to finish your new robes! They look very good on you, Asgore. It really emphasizes how grown up you are becoming." the king clapped him on the back.  
  
"Indeed, it does! No doubt you'll have all the young ladies blushing and giggling tonight with how handsome you've become!" the queen stated proudly.  
  
"T-Thank you." Asgore blushed slightly at the show of affection and pride.  
  
"And look at you, Gerson! You're looking quite dashing tonight as well!" she smiled at him as well.  
  
"Not nearly as lovely as you are this evening, your majesty." Gerson bowed.  
  
The king chuckled appreciatively as his queen puffed up proudly at the compliment.  
  
"Ah! I do believe the guest of honor has arrived." the king refocused his attention on a goat monster with brown fur and thick-rimmed glasses who was now making her way through the crowd towards them.  
  
"Good evening, your majesties!" she bowed upon reaching them.  
  
"Good evening to you as well, Mrs. Capri. I am glad to have you here with us this evening." the king smiled.  
  
"It is truly an honor to be invited!"  
  
"The honor is all ours, Mrs. Capri. After all, this party is in celebration of your accomplishments in the field of learning and education. You have guided the children in our schools to greater heights of wisdom, and I have never been more confident in our choice of Chancellor of Education." the queen told her.  
  
"I will do my best to ensure that that confidence never wavers." Mrs. Capri bowed her head again.  
  
"I do not believe you have met our son yet. This is Prince Asgore, and his retainer, Gerson." the king gestured to his son.  
  
"It is nice to meet you." Asgore gave her a gentle smile as Gerson nodded his agreement.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Asgore." she returned the greeting. "You look to be about the same age as my daughter Tor-" she started to gesture behind her but stopped short when she realized there was nobody there. "Now where did that girl go this time?" she grumbled.  
  
The queen chuckled. "If she is anything like me, she is probably up to some mischief."  
  
"Like the time when we were children and you accidentally set fire to the servants quarters while practicing your fire magic?" the king grinned teasingly, causing the queen to blush.  
  
"I-I assure you, Tori would NEVER do a thing like that! ... I hope..." Mrs. Capri responded, slightly horrified at the idea of her daughter setting fire to the palace.  
  
The king just chuckled good-naturedly at that. "I'm sure, with an influence such as your own, that she is a wise and respectful child."  
  
Mrs. Capri just smiled awkwardly at the compliment.  
  
"Asgore, why don't you go and introduce yourself to our other guests? One day you will be their king, and it is important for a king to be familiar with his people."  
  
"Yes, mother." Asgore nodded and headed back into the crowd to become better acquainted with his people.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored." Gerson whined.  
  
"Do not be rude, Gerson." Asgore chastised him. "... Although I cannot help but agree."  
  
The party had been going on for hours now, and after greeting every guest, Asgore had found himself with very little to do. A few of the guests had brought their children with them, and while some of them were at the same stage of their adolescence that Asgore was, most of them seemed intimidated by the prospect of talking to him and had shied away.  
  
Though he didn't show it outwardly, that reaction had hurt. Gerson, who always saw through his moods, had assured him that it was not he himself, but rather his position as Prince of monsters that had them intimidated.  
  
"Trust me. A big softie like you couldn't intimidate a kitten." Gerson had assured him.  
  
He hoped Gerson was right. He did not want to frighten anyone. He wanted to be the sort of king whom anyone could approach. They were all monsters, after all, and he wanted to do right by everyone.  
  
"What do you say we sneak into the kitchen for a snack?" Gerson suggested.  
  
"There is a buffet just on the other side of this room, Gerson."  
  
"Yeah, but they haven't put out the desserts yet!"  
  
"You and your sweet tooth." Asgore chuckled. "Very well. Let us see what is on the dessert menu."  
  
The two surreptitiously crept out of the event hall and made their way down the winding corridors of the palace towards the kitchen. It took only a few minutes for them to get their snacks and leave.  
  
"You are incorrigible." Asgore told Gerson matter-of-factly.  
  
"I disagree." Gerson responded, taking a bite out of the snack cake in his hand.  
  
"The head chef already had snacks set aside because he anticipated you sneaking out of the party to raid the desserts!"  
  
"It's good to have friends in high places."  
  
"I would hardly consider the words, 'Take those ones over there and get out of my hair you sneaky little brat,' to be ones of friendship."  
  
Gerson nearly choked on his cake laughing at that. "He's just mad that I insulted his lemon pastries."  
  
"When did you do that?"  
  
"When I snuck in last night. Those things were WAY too sour, so I left him the one I tried with a note telling him so. He should be thanking me!"  
  
Asgore let out an exasperated laugh. "You are such a trouble-maker, Gerson."  
  
"Wah ha ha! You ain't seen nothing yet! Come on! I need to get that fake beard from your room."  
  
"The one you gave me a few years ago when my beard started to grow?"  
  
"That wasn't a beard, pal. If it wasn't for the fact that you're already covered in fur, I'd say it barely counted as facial hair!"  
  
Asgore huffed in annoyance at Gerson, but didn't comment otherwise. Instead, he followed his friend back to the royal quarters part of the palace.  
  
They had just passed through the doors separating the royal quarters from the rest of the palace when they heard a quiet curse in the otherwise silent halls.  
  
"What was that?" Gerson asked quietly.  
  
"I do not know... My parents and most of the staff are tending to the party. No one should be back here right now." Asgore whispered.  
  
The two exchanged a look before creeping forward as quietly as they could. Upon reaching the corner they cautiously glanced around it to find someone nervously fiddling with one of the armor display racks.  
  
"Come on... Come ON... I KNOW you go here..." the intruder muttered nervously as she tried to get the helmet back into place on the rack.  
  
Asgore stared at her, transfixed. She was a female goat monster, no older than himself, with bright white fur and wearing an elegant dress. She looked like she was here for the party, but he did not remember seeing her there.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
She finally managed to get the helmet back into place and sighed with relief.  
  
"Just what are you doing here?"  
  
Both the intruder and Asgore were startled as Gerson stepped out from around the corner and confronted her.  
  
"I-" she sputtered, her eyes growing wide.  
  
"This ain't the best place to go exploring, missy. The guards can get pretty grumpy about trespassers."  
  
"I-I-" she continued to stutter and began to back away.  
  
"Watch out!" Asgore called out, stepping out from behind the corner as well.  
  
It was too late, though. The intruder had backed into a small table with a vase of flowers and sent it crashing to the ground. The three of them grimaced, and, within moments, the door to the royal quarters slammed open and two Royal Guards rushed in.  
  
"What is going on in here?!" demanded the first guard, taking in the situation.  
  
The second guard's eyes narrowed at the intruder. "What are you doing in here? Did you do this?" he demanded.  
  
"I-I-" tears began to well in her eyes as she stuttered and shrank inwardly at the angry tone.  
  
"I did it."  
  
All heads whipped around to stare at Asgore.  
  
"I was showing my new friend around, and accidentally broke the vase. I am sorry."  
  
Gerson gave him an incredulous look, but he ignored it.  
  
The two guards exchanged a look that clearly said they weren't buying it. They had arrived almost immediately and Asgore was nowhere near the broken vase. They were not, however, in the habit of questioning the royal family over seemingly frivolous things.  
  
"Very well, Prince Asgore. We'll send for someone to clean up the mess. Perhaps you should return to the party?"  
  
The intruder's eyes widened when the guard called him Prince Asgore.  
  
"No! No. It is alright. It is my mess, so I will clean it up." Asgore insisted.  
  
"If you insist." the other guard responded, before the two took their leave.  
  
Once they were gone, Gerson immediately grabbed his attention.  
  
"What was that?" he demanded.  
  
"What was what?" Asgore asked.  
  
"You lying to the guards! You hate lying!"  
  
"There was no need to get the Guard involved. It was a simple accident."  
  
"The vase, maybe, but you weren't showing this girl around. You don't even know her!"  
  
Asgore blushed sheepishly. "It just felt like the right thing to do..."  
  
"Right thing? She's an intruder trespassing in the royal chambers without permission! She was being rude at best!" Gerson snapped in annoyance. He then turned towards the intruder. "And you never answered my ques- where'd she go??"  
  
While they had been arguing, the intruder had slipped out the door and disappeared.  
  
"Dammit."  
  
"..."  
  
\------------------------------  
  
It had been three days since the party, and Asgore couldn't seem to get his mind off the mysterious intruder. His soul throbbed excitedly as he recalled her bright eyes, the shimmering white of her fur, the slight twitching of her nose as she'd concentrated on her task...  
  
Gerson, of course, thought he was crazy.  
  
"What's your obsession with that girl, anyway? She was just some weird trespasser."  
  
"You just do not get it."  
  
"Obviously not." Gerson huffed, swinging his legs back and forth in the water of the pond they were seated at. "But I don't think you do, either, since you keep avoiding the question."  
  
Asgore remained silent at that. He couldn't deny it. He didn't really understand why he was so fascinated by this girl he barely knew.  
  
Thankfully, the awkward silence didn't last long as a steward approached.  
  
"Prince Asgore, you have a visitor."  
  
Both Asgore and Gerson turned their attention to the Steward, and then to the person behind him.  
  
"It is you!" Asgore's eyes widened as he instantly recognized the girl from the night of the party.  
  
The girl blushed sheepishly, and the steward took his leave.  
  
"H-Hello..." she greeted.  
  
"H-Howdy..." Asgore greeted her back, and Gerson just grunted in acknowledgement.  
  
The three stood there in awkward silence for several long minutes before the girl spoke up again.  
  
"I... I wanted to apologize for the other night. My mother had told me so many things about the palace and its history, so when we arrived for the party I could not help but want to see it for myself... I... got a bit carried away, I am afraid, and wound up somewhere I should not have been..." she bowed her head.  
  
"There is no need to apologize. No harm was done. Mother was looking for an excuse to get some new flowers, anyway."  
  
"You are TOO kind, my lord." Gerson huffed, earning a scathing glance from Asgore.  
  
"Regardless, I am sorry." the girl insisted. "I baked you this pie to thank you for covering for me to the guards." she started to open the basket she was carrying on her arm.  
  
"Pie, you say? What kind of pie?" Gerson asked, now intrigued.  
  
"Gerson..." Asgore spoke warningly.  
  
The girl smiled shyly. "It is a butterscotch cinnamon pie." she pulled it out and held it out to him.  
  
Gerson took the pie and sniffed it, then smiled. "It smells delicious, and I never was one to hold a grudge, anyway."  
  
Asgore snorted in amusement. Typical Gerson.  
  
"Ooh! It's so warm and gooey and has just the right amount of cinnamon..." Gerson crooned in delight through a mouthful of pie. "You really need to try this, sire!"  
  
"Gerson! Eating straight from the tin?! Where are your manners?!" Asgore was exasperated.  
  
"Manners can wait! Seriously, you need to try this!" Asgore gave him another scolding look. "Would it not be rude to our guest if you didn't at least try a bite?" Gerson wheedled.  
  
He knew Asgore would not stand for being rude to a guest. Especially if said guest was the lovely young lady who had been plaguing his thoughts recently and was currently giggling very cutely in amusement at their antics.  
  
Asgore grumbled a bit, but took the pie from Gerson anyway. He hemmed and hawed over how to go about taking a bite without utensils and without getting it all over his fur, but eventually accepted the inevitable and picked up a chunk with his fingers before placing it in his mouth.  
  
Asgore's eyes widened as he took in the flavor and texture of the pie. "I have never tasted anything so amazing in my life! You are an incredible cook, Ms...?" Asgore paused as he realized that he still didn't know her name.  
  
"Ah! How rude of me. My name is Toriel. And you are too kind, your majesty." she bowed, blushing slightly at the compliment.  
  
"Please, call me Asgore."  
  
Toriel looked up at him, startled, and Gerson gave him a weary look, knowing full well why his lord was insisting on being addressed so familiarly by this particular person. He was too busy picking at the pie still in Asgore's hands to say anything about it, though.  
  
"As you wish... Asgore." Toriel responded, trying out his name.  
  
Asgore was delighted. He loved the way his name sounded when she spoke it. Her voice was so soft and gentle, it made his soul feel lighter than air.  
  
Another awkward silence filled the air as Asgore continued to smile goofily to himself as he replayed her saying his name over and over again in his head.  
  
"Well... I really should be going, your maj- Asgore..." Toriel finally spoke up, shifting awkwardly. "Thank you again for what you did."  
  
Asgore blushed brightly. "It was my honor to help."  
  
"And I am glad you liked the pie, Mr...?" she looked at Gerson curiously.  
  
"Gerson." he responded before shoving another messy piece of pie in his mouth.  
  
"Mr. Gerson. Next time I will pack forks and napkins, as well." Toriel giggled.  
  
"Next time?" Asgore perked up excitedly.  
  
"Erm... That is, if you would like me to return?" Toriel responded unsurely.  
  
"I would be delighted." Asgore smiled at her, ecstatic that she wished to see him again.  
  
"Heh. If you're bringing more of this pie with you, you can stop by whenever you like, as far as I'm concerned." Gerson smirked cheekily.  
  
Toriel smiled at the two of them. "I look forward to it, then!"  
  
...  
  
That cheerful smile stuck with Asgore long after Toriel left, and filled his dreams that night with joy and peace.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"Is that too forward?" Asgore asked, scrutinizing the paper before him carefully as he sat at a desk in the palace library.  
  
"Yes, my lord. I do believe that declaring your undying love for someone you've known for a total of one week might be considered 'too forward'." Gerson scoffed as he sat in an armchair nearby, reading a book.  
  
Asgore sighed, crumpling the paper into a ball and tossing it in the waste basket with the others.  
  
"Why is poetry so hard?" Asgore whined, frustrated.  
  
"Can I be frank with you, sire?"  
  
"Since when have you ever asked my permission to tell me exactly what you think?"  
  
Gerson snorted in amusement, but then sobered up slightly. "Poetry is difficult for you because you're not exactly the most creative person."  
  
"I am creative!" Asgore responded defensively.  
  
"Oh yeah? Remember your pet fish, Mr. Fishy?"  
  
"I was still a child back then!"  
  
"Or when we would play pretend where you were the king of a land called 'Kingland'?"  
  
"T-That was vital practice for the future!"  
  
"Or that 'creative writing' assignment from your tutor last week where you just wrote about actual monster history?"  
  
"... I like history, though..."  
  
Gerson gave him a deadpan look, and Asgore sighed. Gerson was right. He wasn't terribly creative. It was one of the things he envied about Gerson: he was one of the most creative people he knew. Though it irked Gerson's father to no end, Gerson was always collecting junk to work into some new project. Where everyone else just saw a useless piece of garbage, Gerson saw potential. He had created countless wonderful things over the years, including a blanket he'd given to Asgore featuring the Delta Rune that he'd sewn from thousands of tiny scraps of fabric that the tailor had discarded.  
  
"Hey..." Asgore glanced up to see that Gerson had gotten out of his chair and had placed a hand on his shoulder. "So, creativity's not your strong suit. No one's good at everything. You've got me beat on history, though. And mathematics. And science... and, well, most things academically, really."  
  
"...And tact..." Asgore added in quietly, a small smile forming as his friend did his best to cheer him up.  
  
"Wah ha ha ha ha! Very true!" Gerson threw his head back and laughed. "You're also far more cuddly than I am, I mean, just look at all this fuzz!" Gerson tugged teasingly at one of Asgore's ears.  
  
"Stooooop!" Asgore laughed pushing his friend slightly away from him.  
  
"Yep! Definitely better than me." he reached back and knocked on his shell. "I'm like cuddling a rock!"  
  
The two laughed for a bit longer before finally settling down.  
  
"Hah... Thank you, Gerson. You always know what to say to make me feel better."  
  
"No problem." Gerson smiled at him. "Now, if you're done moping, I'm going to get back to my book."  
  
Asgore turned back to the smattering of poetry books and scattered papers in front of him with a slight sigh. It was not his strong suit, but surely he could come up with SOMETHING to express his feelings...  
  
He tried again.  
  
The hours passed by quietly, and he still had nothing to show for it.  
  
"Ugh. It is all just so terrible." he grumbled, and tossed another page into the now overflowing waste basket.  
  
"What is terrible?" a familiar voice asked, and Asgore jumped before whipping around.  
  
There was Toriel in the doorway, a basket slung over her arm and a curious look on her face.  
  
"N-Nothing!" Asgore responded quickly.  
  
Toriel's brow furrowed, even more confused.  
  
"It's his poetry." Gerson commented without even looking up from his book. "He's been at it for hours, and the best thing I've heard him come up with is 'Roses are red, violets are blue', which he then ruined by going on an hour long rant about the various colors and hues of roses and violets and 'Why would anyone assert that there is only one color', and so on."  
  
"G-GerSON!" Asgore squeaked, mortified not only at Gerson revealing his difficulty with poetry, but also the fact that his voice cracked in the middle of his exclamation. He'd thought he was DONE with that!  
  
Gerson shot him a devious look. He knew that look. He knew that look VERY well. That was the look Gerson had when he was up to something. Something sneaky.  
  
"So, Toriel. I hear your mom taught creative writing before she was made the Chancellor of Education?"  
  
Asgore glanced curiously at Gerson. So Toriel was the missing daughter of the new Chancellor he met the other night? He wondered where Gerson had picked up on that fact, since she had never introduced herself as such.  
  
"That is correct." Toriel confirmed.  
  
"You must be pretty good at it, too, then, right?"  
  
"Whether or not I am good at it is rather subjective, but I like to think so, yes. I am particularly fond of word-play."  
  
Gerson gave Asgore another look. "Then maybe you could give Asgore over there a few pointers? Stars know he couldn't get any worse."  
  
Toriel turned her attention back to Asgore. "Would you like me to help you?"  
  
"I- Um... Well... Gee..." Asgore stumbled over his words, his blush deepening as he did. "I-If you would l-like to..."  
  
Asgore scooted over to make room as Toriel pulled up a chair. Given that they were both a large species of monster, it was a bit snug. Asgore gawked awkwardly as Toriel then came even closer as she leaned over to peak at the various books he had open.  
  
"So, what do you have so far?"  
  
"N-Nothing!" Asgore responded quickly, studiously NOT looking at the wastebasket with his terrible, half-finished love poems.  
  
"Hm..." Toriel considered. "Then, I suppose, we will start at the beginning." she gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
_Swaying in the wind,_  
  
_Myrtle bloom shares its meaning,_  
  
_Purity of love._  
  
"That is very good, Asgore! You have a knack for haikus! I especially like the idea of the flower symbolizing the purity of love! It is very creative!" Toriel beamed, causing Asgore to blush.  
  
"N-Not really..." Asgore fidgeted nervously. "The myrtle flower is commonly associated with the ideas of purity, innocence, truth, and love. Some ancient humans even believed that the tree was favored by their goddess of love, Venus, which may be where the meanings for the flower came from."  
  
"I had no idea a simple flower could hold such significance." Toriel admitted.  
  
"Of course." Asgore nodded. "Humans have come up with all kinds of meanings for different flowers."  
  
"Why?" Toriel asked.  
  
"Well, from what I've read, they use them as a way to subtly communicate their feelings. From expressions of love or sympathy, well wishes, and even disappointment or rejection. The types of flowers, their colors, and even how they are arranged can affect the meaning of the bouquet." Asgore explained.  
  
"I never knew that! I always picked flowers based on which ones I thought were pretty."  
  
"Most monsters do." Asgore nodded, then hesitated briefly before continuing. "We... We have a large variety of flowers in the garden. I could show them to you and tell you some of their meanings, if you would like?"  
  
"Really? That sounds delightful!" Toriel responded eagerly, an excited spark of interest in learning something new clear in her eyes. "Gerson? Would you like to join- oh?" Toriel blinked in surprise at discovering Gerson fast asleep in his chair. "It is still mid-afternoon. Should we wake him?"  
  
Asgore shook his head. "No. Let him rest. He was likely up late again last night working on his latest project."  
  
"Very well." Toriel turned back to Asgore. "Shall we be off, then?"  
  
Asgore lead the way out of the room and towards the garden. Neither of them noticed Gerson peeking open his eye, nor the sly smirk that followed it.  
  
"Never say I don't have your back, lover boy." Gerson chuckled to himself. "Now, maybe I can actually get some reading done." He murmured before burying his nose back in his book.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"... Roses, due to their variety, are a great example of how color can affect the meaning of the flower." Asgore explained as they paused their tour of the garden by the rose bushes. "Red flowers generally symbolize deeper romantic love, while pink flowers are more appropriate for young or maternal love. Yellow flowers are used to express joy and friendship. White flowers represent purity, innocence, and spirituality, making them common in human religious ceremonies ranging from weddings to funerals. Lavender expresses grace and refinement, while purple signifies royalty, dignity, and success. Then you have blue flowers for tranquility and peace, and green for renewal and rebirth. Of course, these are just common generalizations, and different types of flowers may offer varying meanings, which are further refined depending on what other flowers they are paired with."  
  
Asgore paused as he realized that he'd been rambling, glancing at Toriel somewhat apprehensively. She was staring at him, wide-eyed, causing Asgore to flush with embarrassment.  
  
"Do flowers really have so many meanings?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"Erm... Yes." Asgore gestured towards the hydrangeas next to him. "Hydrangeas, for example, may be given as a sign of gratitude and understanding towards another, or as a sign of grace, beauty, and prosperity. However, they can also symbolize heartlessness, excessive pride, and narcissism, or a general disinterest in a romantic proposal, depending on the color and other flowers included in the arrangement."  
  
"My... It all seems so complicated..." Toriel expressed, still trying to wrap her head around it.  
  
"I am sorry if I am boring you..." Asgore deflated slightly.  
  
"What? Oh! No! You are not boring me at all!" Toriel quickly corrected. "It is complicated, but that just makes it fascinating! I am truly impressed that you are able to keep it all straight!"  
  
"I- well, gee..." Asgore blushed, sheepish but proud.  
  
"Do you have a favorite flower here?" Toriel asked, curiously.  
  
"Hrm..." Asgore considered, glancing around the garden. Was there one flower in particular that he liked? His eyes landed on a planter and a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. He grabbed Toriel's hand and quickly lead her over to the planter. "These are my favorite flowers in the whole garden. They are called 'forget-me-nots'."  
  
"What an interesting name!" Toriel smiled at him. "I assume they are associated with remembrance?"  
  
"That is correct!" Asgore beamed at her. "Forget-me-nots are about remembering the joyful times and connections we share with others. They represent fidelity and loyalty, even through separation or death. As such, they are also associated with true love, and, in newer relationships, are used as a sign of growing affection..."  
  
Asgore trailed off, taking in Toriel's face as she studied the flowers with interest. His gaze then descended to see that she was still grasping his hand, and his soul pounded excitedly in his chest. He quickly glanced back at the flowers, and then Toriel before steeling his resolve.  
  
With quick, practiced ease, Asgore used his claws to snip a sprig of forget-me-nots from the planter and presented them to Toriel. "My lady..."  
  
Toriel stared at the offering, slightly surprised at the gesture. Her eyes then widened and a blush spread across her face as she remembered all the potential meanings of the flower.  
  
Asgore tensed nervously as Toriel blushed and looked at him uncertainly, worried that she was trying to think of a polite way to turn him down.  
  
Toriel accepted the flower, somewhat hesitantly. "A... sign of growing affection...?" she asked.  
  
Asgore blushed brighter and nodded in affirmation.  
  
Toriel looked down at the sprig of tiny blue flowers, lost in thought.  
  
After a few quiet moments, she pulled her hand from Asgore's, and he nearly felt his heart break before she snapped off another sprig, then turned and tucked it carefully into one of the folds of his jacket.  
  
"...Then this is for you..." She told him quietly, a shy smile adorning her blushing face.  
  
Asgore's eyes lit up and his soul swelled at the gesture. He took her hands in his, returning her shy, but hopeful, gaze.  
  
It was not uncommon for Asgore to second guess himself. He was young, he was awkward, and he would eventually have the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders.  
  
This, however, was something he felt with certainty from the moment he first saw her.  
  
There could be no doubt.  
  
Like a budding forget-me-not, his love for her would continue to grow and blossom until the end of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to write a bit of Asgore/Toriel fluff, and inspiration struck with the idea of introducing how they met and first began to fall in love. 
> 
> Given the fact that Asgore turned his throne room underground into a garden, I knew the way he'd try to impress her would be with his knowledge of flowers. Flowers actually do have a lot of meaning behind them, and were actually used to covertly convey messages in the past when many things were considered taboo. I figured monsters wouldn't have that sort of problem, so wouldn't really use flowers for the purpose of conveying messages, but it's something Asgore heard about and studied because it fascinated him. 
> 
> Of course, things wound up falling into place perfectly as I did some research on flowers and their meanings and came across the forget-me-nots. Their meaning just represent Asgore, both in the past and future, too perfectly. He undoubtedly dwelled on the bitter-sweet memories of his family after he lost them, both unable, and unwilling, to ever truly forget them. He was also loyal to Toriel, even after she left him, never re-marrying and even being happy to see her, even if it was immediately after she threw a fireball at him to save Frisk from him. His was a true, undying love. 
> 
> So, I hope you all enjoyed this bit of fluff, and have a great holiday and new year!

**Author's Note:**

> Have a question or comment about the scene? Let me know, below! Have a suggestion or question about the TotS universe that you'd like to see expanded upon? Feel free to post that, too! If inspiration strikes, you might find your post expanded upon!
> 
> Also, feel free to check out my tumblr! Admittedly, I have no real idea what I'm doing with it, so you guys can watch me flail helplessly!  
> [The Studio](http://parttimegiraffechoreographer.tumblr.com/)


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